Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark Leslie Lefebvre

1 Creator

Perspectives and reflections on the writing and publishing life. Mark Leslie Lefebvre, a writer, bookseller, digital publishing advocate, professional speaker, and publishing consultant explores inclusive and collaborative opportunities for writers and book publishing professionals via interviews, discussions, and reflections about the industry. (Mark's personal website is www.markleslie.ca)

#8 in the Top 100 publishing All time chart

...more

2 Listeners

All episodes

Best episodes

Seasons

Top 10 Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

EP 326 - Rebranding and Relaunching with E.L. Williams

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

10/05/23 • 49 min

Mark interviews author E.L. Williams about her writing life, about her books, about rebranding one of the books in her series, and more.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares comments from recent episodes a brief personal update, welcomes new patron T. Thorn Coyle, and shares a word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by the Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast.

In their conversation, Mark and Emma talk about:

How it took Emma about ten years to write her first book
Getting slightly "bullied" into going to a writer conference from a fellow author
Publishing her first book during Halloween season in 2020
How the global pandemic changed enough things with her day job that allowed her the opportunity to get the book finished and published
The "Murphy's Law" events that piled up with the launch of book two, which led to a signifcant health issue that had to be dealt with
The decision to change the title and cover for book two after realizing it wasn't hitting the market properly
Being a great believer in learning by doing
Rolling back on the unrealistic expectations Emma set herself up with and learning to enjoy the process and take a more relaxed approach
Emma's ideas involving merchandise in relation to her book and how that led to collaborating with Deadweight Brewing
The book "relaunch" party Emma planned out including the beer and book cakes
The social media "long shot" that Emma took on Instagram asking if the beer book branding thing had ever been done before
How social media can be a bit like marmite
Beginning to check out experimenting with TikTok by doing a video a day
Advice Emma has for other writers who haven't taken the plunge yet
And more....

After the interview, Mark reflects back on a couple of things his conversation with Emma made him think about.

Links of Interest:

EP 325 - Reflecting Back: 3 Things That Are Wrong With Indie Publishing

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

09/28/23 • 50 min

In this episode Mark reflects back to Episode 6 of this podcast, which was released on Feb 6, 2018.

He shares clips from that episode, in which he outlined three of the things that bothered him about the indie publishing world.

Reflecting back, he comments on a few things that have changed, and what is consistent more than 5 years after the initial broadcast.

This episode is sponsored by the Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast.

Links of Interest:

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

1 Listener

EP 327 - Writing the Shadow with Joanna Penn

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

10/10/23 • 60 min

Mark interviews Joanna Penn about her new book Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness into Words, then associated Kickstarter she launched for it, plans she has to window its release, and much more.

Prior to the main content, Mark thanks Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast.

In their conversation, Mark and Joanna talk about:

How it has been a while since Joanna has been on Mark's podcast (she was in episode 212)
The number of years Joanna has been podcasting under The Creative Penn brand (March 2009)
How sometimes there's a book that you really want to write that you're not ready to write yet
The way we can often push the "shadows" down and repress them
The importance of writing the things that fascinate you
What happens when you push a balloon down underwater and try to hold it there
Plato's Chariot and the White and Dark horses and getting them to run together in harmony
The value of addressing what we're repressing and bringing it into the light particularly in your writing
How critical it is for successful fiction to have conflict, which is often derived from the shadow
The common themes in Joanna's writing about helping or saving the family or saving the world
The only way we're going to be able to stand out as human in a crowded market, and, in particular, a market with emerging AI-generated content
How Writing the Shadow and Pilgrimage are "mid-life" books for Joanna as she is addressing that part of her existence and Mememto Mori in those memoir-style books
Exploring how you're being held back by some of those things that you've allowed to be repressed
The shadows in both self-publishing and traditional publishing
How you don't need to be afraid to look into the shadow and perhaps find the gold in that shadow
The Kickstarter that Joanna has launched for Writing the Shadow
The way authors have long focused on the retail websites for sales but how that has slowly shifted into a new phase of direct selling and windowing strategies
Joanna's launch strategy for Writing the Shadow which starts with Kickstarter, migrates to direct selling on her personal websites, and then moves into broader retail and library distribution
The value of standing out as an author, particularly today
How Writing the Shadow is an optimistic book despite the topic and themes explored in it
Building a new author ecosystem and training existing and new readers to engage in that realm
The importance of remembering how the business model will keep changing but what doesn't change is writing the books of your heart and the books that will help you and others
Gifts of the shadow, finding the gold, and the idea of "after the curse comes the gift"
The spiral bound workbook
How thecreativepenn.com/shadowbook will redirect either to the Kickstarter or wherever the books are available in the future
The horror themed storybundle that Mark and Joanna are both in
And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on a few things from the conversation, announces a bonus for his patrons related to a reward from Joanna's Kickstarter, and invites listeners to share their own reflections on this topic.

Links of Interest:

Joanna Penn's Main Website: The Creative Penn
- Writing the Shadow
Halloween/Horror Storybundle (Ends after Oct 31, 2023)
Joanna's Previous guest appearances on this podcast:
- EP 002 - Living the Healthy Writer's Life with Joanna Penn
- EP 148 - AI Voice Double Conversation with Joanna Penn
- EP 212 - A Conversation with Joanna Penn about Co-authoring The Relaxed Author
- SELECTED OTHER MENTIONS / Appearances
  - EP 164 - Reflections on Other Podcasts: The Creative Penn...

1 Listener

EP 235 - Inspiring Readers Through Fiction with Annaliese Morgan

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

02/18/22 • 54 min

Mark interviews Annaliese Morgan, an author, traveller, a solo mum of two boys, and an award winning Advanced Veterinary Surgical Nurse, about writing, her book STAY WILD, and her passion for inspiring young adults and young readers through fiction.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares a personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor.

You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

During their conversation, Mark and Annaliese talk about:

Annaliese's entrance to writing in the 1990s after her extensive veterinary work
Those veterinary related books, and how that led to a successful blog of autobiographical vignettes
The way that real life elements can be incorporated into her fiction
Annaliese's first novel, STAY WILD, an urban fantasy story set in present day London
Her imprint, Black Daisy Press, and her plans for it
The importance of inspirational fiction, particularly for younger readers
Advise that Annaliese would offer to beginning writers
And much more...

After the interview Mark reflects on a couple of things Annaliese said about there being no half-way when you're a writer, as well as big decisions and small decisions.

Links of Interest:

Annaliese Morgan is an author, traveller and solo mum of two boys... Max an actor and Woody, a gamer, You Tuber and aspiring chef. Originally from Yorkshire but based in London the three are rather like the three musketeers; they have a Basset hound called Pineapple, but he is more meh than musketeer.

Formerly, and in a different life, Annaliese was an award winning Advanced Veterinary Surgical Nurse in the UK. She co-authored a book on veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia in 1999 for the BSAVA. In 2007 and 2009 she was sought after to write three books (NVQ2, NVQ3 and A-Z for Veterinary Nurses) to help students pass their exams. In 2008 she opened the first pet health spa in the UK and published Desperate Housepets: Become a Chic Pet Owner Without Being a Bitch in 2014, and ran a successful blog of inspiring autobiographical vignettes entitled The Annaliese Journals - terrible title with some dodgy writing in parts but we all start somewhere - thousands loved it and were helped by the blog pieces, which is the bit that matters.

Since a child Annaliese has always been a writer and traveller, but after recovery from a near fatal motorbike accident including over eleven operations a...

1 Listener

EP 225 - Writing Personal Experience in Fiction with Ami Sands Brodoff

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

12/17/21 • 58 min

Mark interviews Ami Sands Brodoff, the award-winning author of three novels and two story collections about her latest book, The Sleep of Apples and the stories and books she has written over the years.

Prior to the main content, Mark discusses recent comments, welcomes new patron Jared Nelson, shares a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor.

You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

In their conversation Mark and Ami talk about:

Ami as a "late-bloomer" writer who had worked on a number of short stories for years before working on a novel
The encouragement, including a nomination for The Pushcart Prize that happened early on with Ami's first published story
Being invited to The Algonquin Hotel in New York for lunch with some editors
Asking herself is this the career I want to be doing no matter what
The related anchor job that Ami had for guaranteed writing money coming in while she did freelance work
Adapting real-life circumstances into her first novel, Can You See Me?
How the stories in The Sleep of Apples are linked by a neighborhood, whereas in a previous collection, it was a theme that unified the stories
The concept of neighborhoods in cities like Montreal and New York
The amazing critical acclaim for The Sleep of Apples and how publicist can snowball
Various workshops that Ami has lead over the years
Tapping into the stories that other people want to share and tell
Advice Ami would have for beginning writers
And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on the idea of how publicist can snowball, or how a lot of hard work can lead to those "viral" things.

Links of Interest:

Ami Sands Brodoff is the award-winning author of three novels and two story collections. Her latest novel-in-stories, The Sleep of Apples, centres on 9 closely-linked characters confronting crises related to mental illness, mortality--sooner rather than later--and gender identity.

Ami's novel, In Many Waters, grapples with our world-wide refugee crisis. The White Space Between, which focuses on a mother and daughter struggling with the impact of the Holocaust won The Canadian Jewish Book Award for Fiction. Bloodknots, a volume of thematically-linked stories was a finalist for the ReLit Award.

Ami leads workshops for teens, adults, and seniors. She has taught writing to formerly incarcerated women and to people grappling with mental illness. Ami has been awarded fellowships to Yaddo, the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Ragdale Foundation, and St. James Cavalier Arts Centre for Creativity (Malta).

Ami lives in ...

1 Listener

EP 233 - Sinking Your Teeth Into Reader Interaction with E.E. Judd

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

02/04/22 • 40 min

Mark interviews author E.E. Judd about her new novel, TEETH, her writing life, and interacting with her readers.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor.

You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

In their conversation, Mark and Elise talk about:

The humor that Elise puts in her biography and how it's indicative of the tongue-in-cheek snark in her fiction as well as in her author newsletter
Her new novel TEETH, the first in the series, and the creation of the prequel story "reader magnet"
How Elise has always loved the werewolf genre, and the werewolf books by Patricia Briggs and Kelley Armstrong
Enjoying blood and guts, and action, and monsters
The decision to release her books under the "gender neutral" pseudonym E.E. Judd
The main character, Danielle Waters, who is a naive werewolf with no idea of the world of the other supernaturals that exist
Why Canada is the perfect setting for werewolf novels
The dojo she helps her husband run and their theory of "if it's useful learn it; if it's useful, use it"
Realistic and realism in fight scenes that Elise writes
Deciding upon what parts of the werewolf mythology and to leverage in her novels
How much Elise appreciates Brandon Sanderson's "Laws of Magic"
The frequency of communicating with her readers via her author newsletter
Wanting to write stories since she was a kid
How Elise considers NaNoWriMo a gift from the heavens
Elise's perspective on how social media is a great way to interact with existing readers
The importance of a supportive community for a writer
Writing by plotting line by line or writing by exploring how a scene should feel
Advice Elise would give to beginning writers
And more...

After the interview, Mark reflects on Elise's use of her newsletter and social media as a way to engage with and entertain her readers, rather than trying to sell to them. He also talks about her advice on the importance of finishing.

Links of Interest:

E.E. Judd writes badass fantasy. She’s into reading (shocking!), video games, plants, sarcasm, and stories wit...

1 Listener

EP 343 - Self-Publishing Lesbian Fiction (or Something Equally Non-Threatening) with Elizabeth Andre

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

01/19/24 • 56 min

Mark interviews Elizabeth Andre (AKA Karen and Victoria) about her/their journey through writing, collaboration, and the new book SELF-PUBLISHING LESBIAN FICTION.

Prior to the interview, Mark reads comments from recent episodes and shares a word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by ScribeCount (affiliate link). Spend less time logging in to multiple platforms and crunching numbers, and more time writing and marketing your books thanks to ScribeCount's handy all-in-one interface.

In their conversation, Karen, Victoria, and Mark talk about:

The background of how Karen and Victoria got started as writers, and then about how they met and why they started writing together
Karen's earliest memories coming up with playtime stories with her younger brother that took on a "soap opera" and "serialized" format
The concept of how to earn money that came down to one of two things: Sell drugs, or write porn
Researching the writing of gay male porn by getting magazines and reading through them
Coming up with numerous ephamisms for the male sex organ appendage
How Victoria comes from a long list of writers, including her father and how she wanted to be anything BUT a writer
The two of them each discovering the joy and the magical allure that is journalism
Being one of the many writers who was "Sherry Lovelace" for the UK edition of Penthouse Magazine
Meeting at a Gay Journalist Convention and clicking, but not really having that much in common
Discovering that, despite the "common wisdom" from traditional publishing, money could be made from writing lesbian fiction. That shift, of course, came from the rise of self-publishing
Who the readers of gay male fiction and lesbian fiction are
The origin of the pen name Elizabeth Andre
Some of the logistics of how the two write together
Who the book Self-Publishing Lesbian Fiction is for, with an analogy of an off-the-rack suit and a tailored suit
The tally of the $35 and $45 dollars owed from various publishers and platforms
The term and use of "Sapphic Fiction" and how it is more inclusive of lesbian, bi-sexual, trans, and non-binary
Some of the barriers that arise when writing lesbian fiction
How self-publishing can overcome so many of the barriers within traditional publishing
And more...

After the interview, Mark reflects on a couple of topics brought up, specifically "serialized playtime stories" and the "tailored" work of writers.

Links of Interest:

EP 347 - Library Advocacy Support with John Chrastka of EveryLibrary

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

02/16/24 • 56 min

Mark interviews John Chrastka, the executive director of EveryLibrary, the first nationwide political action committee for libraries, and the EveryLibrary Institute, a nonprofit research and training organization focused on the future of library funding.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update, reads comments from recent episodes, and says a word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries and Bookstores.

You can get the book online, order it through your local bookstore, or ask for it as your local library.

Universal Book Link

Smashwords Link (Coupon Discount for Feb/March 2024)

In the interview, Mark and John talk about:

John starting off his career in publishing as a bookseller in a small neighborhood Chicago community bookstore, and how that led to becoming a publishing sales rep
Migrating over to the Ed-Tech realm as the internet came around
Moving on over to The American Library Association from there
What EveryLibrary is: a 501(c)(4) organization that is a political action committee for libraries
How it's more of a network than a membership that is about 330,000 people strong
Telling stories about how libraries are solutions to problems for people and librarians as enactors of those solutions
In about 37 states, public libraries actually have to go to election days to get their funding secured
The four different ways that voters stratify:
- Believers - People who love the library and have a relationship with their library (25%)
- Questioners
- Suspicious Voters
- Never Gonna Vote for you Never (22 to 25%)
The answer for people who question the value of a local library because they "don't do books"
How the library as a source for reading grew from 19% to 24% during the pandemic and the way that percentage is continue to hold in 2024
The way that the isolating of society is not just a library issue but a public health issue
The popularity of book banning in the United States in recent years and the fact that it's easier to censor a book than it is to attack a person or a population
How this censorship and book banning isn't merely a matter of freedom of speech issue, but a matter of human rights
The pernicious nature of using the term "obscenity" and "obscene" to criminalize particular pupulations and to help skirt around First Amendment rights
How libraries are an affordable way to put tax dollars to good use in the way they provide so much to their local communities
The multiple pathways they have to help people move from "aware" to "active"
And more . . .

After the interview Mark reflects on how books are being banned and censored as an underhanded way to strike at specific demographics and populations, and the value in focusing on the "Suspicious Voters" as a brilliant strategy.

Links of Interest:

EveryLibrary
fightforthefirst.org
Canadian Federation of Library Associations
Canadian Library Association
Ontario Library Association
Canadian Urban Libraries Council
Superstars Writing Seminars
Author, Author (Indie Bookseller - Laura Hayden)
- EP 167 - Author, Author, Give Me The News: Bookseller Insights with Laura Hayden
Fantasy Island (TV Show)
An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
- Smashwords Link (eBook 57% Off until end of Feb 2024)

EP 246 - Four of the Pitfalls of Publishing

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

04/22/22 • 36 min

Mark shares four of the many pitfalls of publishing that can befall authors.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares a personal update and a word from this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by The 2022 Write Stuff StoryBundle.

For StoryBundle, you decide what price you want to pay. For $5 (or more, if you're feeling generous), you'll get the basic bundle of four books in any ebook format—WORLDWIDE.

Domesticate Your Badgers by Michael W Lucas
Publishing Pitfalls for Authors by Mark Leslie Lefebvre
Writing Craft by DeAnna Knippling
A Freelancer's Survival Guide to Starting Your Own Business by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

If you pay at least the bonus price of just $20, you get all four of the regular books, plus five more books and an online lecture, for a total of 10 books/lectures. That includes two StoryBundle exclusives!

A Writer Prepares by Lawrence Block
Free Your Inner Nonfiction Writer by Johanna Rothman (StoryBundle Exclusive)
Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and Virtual Worlds by Joanna Penn
Create a Character Clinic by Holly Lisle
Do...Quit Your Day Job by Christina F. York (StoryBundle Exclusive)
The Pop-Up Series - Clean First Draft Writing by Dean Wesley Smith

During the main content of this episode, Mark shares four of the P's of publishing pitfalls:

PACING
PACK
PACKAGING
PARALYSIS

Links of Interest:

The 2022 Write Stuff Storybundle
Episode 202 - Predators and Publishers
“7 Tools For Pacing A Novel & Keeping Your Story Moving At The Right Pace,” Courtney Carpenter, April 24, 2012
“Pacing in Writing: 10 Powerful Ways to Keep Readers Hooked,” Reedsy Blog, October 13, 2018
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need, Jessica Brody, Ten Speed Press, October 2018.
Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish, James Scott Bell. Writers Digest Books, October 2004.
How to Write Best Selling Fiction, Dean R. Koontz, Writers Digest Books, September 1981. (Out of Print asof the release of this book in August 2021)
Buy Mark a Coffee
Patreon for Stark Reflections
Accounting for Authors
The Relaxed Author
- Buy eBook Direct
- Buy Audiobook Direct
Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores
Wide for the Win
Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this pod...

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing EP 176 - Nurturing Opportunity with Nadine Williams

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

02/05/21 • 56 min

In this episode Mark interviews Nadine Williams, a storyteller, a writer, a poet, keynote speaker and entrepreneur.

Prior to the interview Mark shares some recent personal comments, a personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor.You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

In their conversation, Mark and Nadine talk about:

How being a writer, speaker, and poet was something that Nadine stumbled upon after life threw her some curve balls

The way that writing became therapy

Nadine's career in construction and a trade show encounter that led to her first published article

The idea of a book being the result of the marriage between a writer and her pen

Nadine's use of the term "tears to ink" to describe the earliest therapeutic writing she had done

The early reading Nadine did as a child, and the oral storytelling tradition she grew up with

The experience of opening up for a talk that Michelle Obama did in Toronto in 2017

The poem "Us Women" that Nadine read for the Obama event, which was originally the poem "Us Africans" that she re-adapted

A custom line thrown in to page homage to Michelle Obama specifically

What Nadine learned from an error made at that event

The art of performance poetry and how all of Nadine's writing has that element of performance

The way that an entire poem can come from a single word

The significant event that led Nadine into speaking at libraries and schools

The art installations and nominations that Nadine was involved in

Advice that Nadine would offer to beginning writers

Some of the issues we have in Canada related to intolerance and people not being aware of their prejudices and biases

Nadine's 2021 Black History Month Theme - "Nurturing Hope through Allyship"

And more...

After the interview, Mark reflects on Nadine's ability to adapt and re-adapt both creatively and in an entrepreneurial way.

Links of Interest

Nadine Williams Website

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

Black History Organizations & Resources

EP 175 - ScribeCount

EP 133 - Anatomy of a Rebel with Sacha Black

EP 155 - Rebel Reflections with Guest Host Sacha Black

EP 163 - Getting a Creative Edge with Mickey Mikkelson

The Indy Author Podcast - EP 063 - Wide for the Win with Mark Leslie Lefebvre

Rebel Author Podcast EP - 71

Findaway Voices

7 Audiobook Trends for Authors to Watch in 2021

Fear and Longing in Los Angeles

Nano-Chameleon Parody Video

Wide for the Win

Wide Writer Survey

Show more best episodes

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark Leslie Lefebvre

Top 10 Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing Episodes

EP 326 - Rebranding and Relaunching with E.L. Williams

EP 325 - Reflecting Back: 3 Things That Are Wrong With Indie Publishing

EP 327 - Writing the Shadow with Joanna Penn

EP 235 - Inspiring Readers Through Fiction with Annaliese Morgan

EP 225 - Writing Personal Experience in Fiction with Ami Sands Brodoff

EP 233 - Sinking Your Teeth Into Reader Interaction with E.E. Judd

EP 343 - Self-Publishing Lesbian Fiction (or Something Equally Non-Threatening) with Elizabeth Andre

EP 347 - Library Advocacy Support with John Chrastka of EveryLibrary

EP 246 - Four of the Pitfalls of Publishing

Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing EP 176 - Nurturing Opportunity with Nadine Williams

FAQ

How many episodes does Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing have?

What topics does Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing cover?

What is the most popular episode on Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing?

What is the average episode length on Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing?

How often are episodes of Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing released?

When was the first episode of Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing?

Comments