Introducing a new direction for Writer on the Road Productions, including our Publishing and Podcast activities. Although we've always been about bringing to our listeners the latest and best Indie publishing advice - as exemplified by our Business of Writing Podcast Series, Author Success Stories Series and magazine, plus our courses and workshops - we're now doubling down on the talent in our own part of the world. Australasia has a plethora of talent in the Indie publishing space and it's our aim to form community where we encourage each other, share our knowledges and work towards supporting ourselves financially through our writing. And, one day, we even hope to have our own conference. But, first steps are small steps. You can join us in our new adventure by signing up to our newsletter here: http://writerontheroad.com/writer-on-the-road/ (http://writerontheroad.com/writer-on-the-road/)

Writer On The Road

The Aussie Indie Podcast Launch Episode

Podcasts are the new blogs. And, as an author, the best way to reach your audience to promote your novels and stories is through audio. If you’re not guesting on podcasts, it’s time to start. Audio is king, is the key message we bring away from our Podcast Movement Conference in Orlando, Florida, as we wind up our America trip and get ready to head back to Oz. And audio is only going to get bigger. Think Google podcasts, Google searches, and anything else Google you want to throw in this sentence. And Smart Speakers. One in five Americans already use one. And a fun fact to finish, for the first time in history, nearly 40 percent of podcasters are women. Yay to us. You can support us on Patreon here.   Read Full Transcript [00:00:48] Hello and welcome to the final episode of our very special mini series about our trip through the United States of America. We're finishing off the mini series with an episode about Podcast Movement, the podcasting Conference where we are currently visiting in Orlando Florida. You can support our efforts over at Patreon.com/writerontheroad. [00:00:48][0.0] [00:00:51] Sam: It's been really interesting everyone. We've got lots of statistics that I can write up for you when we get home. But one of the things that has really struck us is how very popular podcasting is and how that's going to increase definitely. [00:01:09][17.9] [00:01:09] Mel: That's been the key message here and we've been talking about how even though we've got a sizeable chunk of listening people listening to podcasts there are still it's still an untapped space. There are only eight hundred thousand active podcasts globally so it's still a space even though it's really popular with listeners. It's not so popular created yet so lots of room to get in on the action. [00:01:28][18.3] [00:01:28] Sam: Writer on the Road is still in the top 10 percent of podcasts which is exciting times in terms of our downloads. But there was a real divide between I think professional broadcasters and individual podcasters which was interesting. And then again another divide between non-fiction podcasters and the very exciting growth area of audio fiction which we'll talk about later in the show. It's one of my key interests, definitely. [00:01:56][27.5] [00:02:10] Mel: I'm going to start with a session we had our own James Cridland from downtown Brisbane. I listened to a talk with James today on Google Podcasts and how that is really going to take off. [00:02:23][12.9] [00:02:27] Mel: We went to a session the other day that shows that even though Apple Podcasts have a slow percentage growth rate they had so many to begin with that their raw growth numbers are still more than anyone else combined. But as we saw with James today Google podcasts is trying to creep into that space. [00:02:41][14.4] [00:02:42] Sam: The exciting thing is that, as James explained it to us, is that Google is a service or Google podcast is a service that gets podcasts on to smart speakers, Google assistant in Australia. Google Smart Speakers have a sixty eight percent mark to market share in America one in five Americans have a smart speaker . [00:03:06][24.0] [00:03:11] Mel: What's really exciting for us is Google Search. Google searches are going to bring our podcasts up so much more easily. Google is actively doing all the work for us. So the examples I gave I was talking to Sam about how this is really good for audio is it. I've Natasha Lister so anyone who is looking for an anything about Natasha Lester our podcast is going...

#161 Mel & Sam in Orlando: Audio Matters & What You Need to Know For Your Writing

It’s time to write. And research. Join us as we enter the research and writing phase of our NYC journey. Let’s call it a writing retreat where we meet people who give generously of their time and knowledge with no expectation of return. If you love history and the gilded age, then this one’s for you. Think tall ships, maritime history, old mansions and sticky buns. Meet Pamela Grimm, author of Destiny’s Gold and Destiny’s Freedom. Pamela is an amazing historian and a person I had the privilege to meet whilst in NYC. Enjoy ten minutes with Pamela this episode with a full interview to come when we return to Oz. Making friends is all part of life’s journey and how lucky are we to stumble across experts in all facets of maritime history; from bookshop owners to local historians to people who just want to help us on our journey, including our amazing Airbnb hosts in Rondout, in Down-town Kingston, New York. Listen out for our interview with Joe and MaryAnn  next episode. In the meantime, enjoy ten minutes with us as we reflect on our month in NYC and what it means to travel with purpose. You can support us through Patreon here. You can find out more about the amazing Pamela Grimm and her novels here. You can listen to our interviews on Travel Writers Radio here. As always, thank you for your support and interest. Mel, Sam & Liss

#160 10 Minutes with Sam & Mel: Tall Ships, Hamilton & a Research Sabbatical

International travel, book buying, theatre attendance and writerly adventures all need budgetary considerations if one wants to survive for an extended period in the greatest city in the world. Having comfortable shoes is also a good idea. In this episode we chat about the importance of keeping an eye on the budget on a daily basis, discussing plans ahead of time and knowing when it’s time to slow down and enjoy the free stuff. We also chat with our Airbnb Superhost, Michelle, who gives us some tips on how to choose the perfect holiday accommodation to meet your needs, and be legal. You can find out more about our journey and the behind the scenes writing of our book, Living Like Locals in NYC, here.

10 Minutes with Mel & Sam in NYC: Living Like Locals and Dastardly Budget Discussions

The writing life can be tough sometimes and this week was no exception as we busied ourselves attending two theatre pieces; Antigone in Ferguson and Mojada. You don’t need to know your Greek myths but it helps if you want to fully appreciate the political statement each piece makes. The intention of original Greek theatre is to allow an audience to purge their emotions, and in both cases, Sam & I blamed the emotion of the theatre experience as we cried. After such intense emotional connection it’s always good to have somewhere to go to debrief. In our case, we think we’ve found the perfect oasis in the Library Hotel on Madison Avenue – there are four hotels in the NYC Library Hotel collection, but for book lovers, it’s got to be Madison Avenue. Listen to my conversation with Rob Rawlins, General Manager of the Library Hotel, at the end of this episode to find out why.   You can link to our Patreon account here for tidbits and essays about our adventures, and maybe even receive your free digital copy of Mel & Sam in NYC, available 1st October, 2019 You can find out more about The Library Hotel Collection here.

#158 10 Minutes with Sam & Mel in NYC: A Night at the Theatre

Writing the road less travelled is turning out to be the path of our NYC ’10 Minutes With Mel & Sam’ journey. Exploring the greatest city in the world on foot, by bike, train and ferry is opening up adventures we never deemed possible all that time ago when we were planning our adventure. But, as luck halos our heads, we’re following in the tradition of great writers we can only dream of emulating, as we cross literary paths with the greats: Walt Whitman, Jack Kerouak, F. Scott Fitzgerald and who knows who else. Fun facts: NYC is not as flat as you think Biking around Central Park is easy, sometimes The Hudson river is where the trendsetters hang out Squirrels in Central Park are sad on Mondays You don’t need a helmet to ride a pushbike in NYC We talk about none of these things in this episode, but we meant to…  

#157 10 Minutes With Mel & Sam in NYC: Writin’ Along On Our Pushbikes, Honey…

Join us in NYC to celebrate the creative freedom of being able to work from anywhere, starting with the greatest city in the world. We explore the opportunities in the world of theatre, books and writing, combined with travel, good food and the occasional drop of Long Island wine. In this episode we set the scene for what’s to come, discuss what makes a good bookshop, and chat with the writers of the off-Broadway musical, Assistants, about how to succeed at the hardest of creative endeavours, producing theatre.

#156 10 Minutes with Mel & Sam in NYC: Bookshops Aren’t Meant to be Like That

If at first you don’t succeed at this thing called writing…keep writing, and learning, and writing some more. Cassie Hamer, author of  After the Party, has put in the hard yards, earning her Masters in Creative Writing, and then unlearning most of what she’d been studying for years as she searched to find voice. And lucky for us, she found it with her debut novel. Cassie opens up about the fears, doubts and joys of success as a published author. We even get a sneak preview of the joys of lunching with her editor. In this episode, we cover a range of topics which can be summed – sort of – as follows: Publishers want to publish your book literary versus popular fiction the value of Higher degree Creative Writing courses what it’s like to meet your editor for lunch a writing place of your own finding and trusting your writing voice rejection is part of the writing life celebrate your wins what is your next book? writing is a personal journey   You can find out more about Cassie and her writing here. You can find out more about Author Success Stories Magazine and TIPS For Writers here. Read Full Transcript Mel Today have with me the beautiful Cassie Hamer. Hi Casey. Cassie Hi Mel. I love your podcast. You have such great warmth and enthusiasm and it really is lovely to be speaking with you. Mel I'm really excited everyone to introduce a new writer and the book, 'After The Party. Now I had no idea what to expect but when I read it, it was thirty two young children at a birthday party. Cassie I have three young children myself and they're 6, 8 and 10 and I have hosted quite a few parties here at my home on their behalf. I always find that kids parties are constantly teetering on the edge of total disaster because you have so many children they're so hyped up there are games of competition. There's far too much sugar causing total chaos. So I thought what what it a scenario into which to put an inciting incident. So as you say the party is a complete disaster the laser WAKES UP LIKE NOTHING'S READY TO GO. SHE'S ABOUT TO HAVE 33 children land on her doorstep which they do. And it continues to be disastrous. And she makes it through though she struggles through until the end and reads It's a relief that there will be kids and picked up and taken home. Well, all except one little girl who she discovers hiding in a dog kennel. And at first Lisa thinks well the mom's just running late. No problem. This is true and she gets a note and the note is from Ellie's mother and the note explains that in fact she's not coming back to pick up the child at all and that she's asking Lisa to take care of this child and then laces put into these massive conundrum what do I do. And the story takes off from there. Mel It's really interesting because when I set out to to research for this interview Cassie I wasn't quite sure where this novel was going to fit. And one of the reviews that I read is this reviewer thought it was going to be a romance and I thought oh we must have another book here but it's not it's far. I think it's far deeper than that. It's got a lot of elements in it. We can all relate to it. We all cringe away from from some of the things that happen in it. But basically this book has a lot more depth and resonance than then just a quick story doesn't it? Cassie I think I think it did. Well thank you very much for saying that

#155 Never Give Up On Your Publishing Dreams, with Cassie Hamer

Welcome to the world of pirates, love, blackmail, ill-gotten gains, treason and trickery. And that’s on a good day. Elizabeth Ellen Carter is an award-winning historical romance author who pens richly detailed historical romantic adventures. Carter is known for her meticulous research. My husband jokes that it’s five minutes of writing and twenty five minutes worth of research per half hour…it could be half an hour on looking at what the liquor licensing laws were in t66he early eighteen hundreds or or checking the etymology of vagrancy to make sure that it’s accurate. In this episode we learn about the difference between a privateer and a buccaneer. The answer? A privateer has a letter of remit from the government. They behave exactly in the same ways as a pirate in the way they were used to supplement the Royal Navy. More importantly, we learn what it takes to write a historical romance that has readers begging for more. You can find out more about Elizabeth and her novels here. Read Full Transcript Mel Today I've got with me the beautiful Elizabeth Ellen Carter. Good morning Elizabeth. Elizabeth Good morning Mel. Thank you very much for having me on the show. Mel It's an absolute delight everybody I'm really excited. Elizabeth is an award winning an award winning historical romance author and I called her novels with permission of Elizabeth. What is it Alina. This is the kind of novel that I grew up on Elizabeth I'm so excited to be talking to you about it today. Elizabeth Thank you very much. How you got into that because I got a novel when I was 17 from a girlfriend of mine in high school and it was the classic 1980s bodice rippers but the that the history in it it was set during the war of the Roses. I can remember the name it was Rose of rapture by. Brandywine Rebecca Brandywine and. It was a complete revelation. And I thought one day I'm gonna write a novel and if if it makes people feel it good. Go as as I felt reading this. So being swept away by the by the passion by it by the history by. By the really excellent universe creation then. Then I'd be very satisfied indeed. Mel I have to read this out because I just went yes these are my kind of novels love blackmail ill gotten gains treason and trickery. Elizabeth Oh yes yes. And that's on a good day. Mel I'm going to go through all this at the moment because it's just so cool. Your newest book and I don't know whether it's part of your heart of the course's Sea resort stands on its own. It's called The Wolf of Wolf Street the pirates of Britannica. I just love it. Elizabeth Thank you. I have been with them with the encouragement of my publisher Katharine Levesque. She has invited me to participate in this fabulous universe. So I have invented and ancestor from from the heartache of family. Gabriel hada. And he and his brothers are from other heroes of this particular adventure. Mel That's so you everybody. Elizabeth The heart of the course series the hero I guess is a privateer Captain Kit Hardaker and they're set from 1810 to 1816 on the Barbary Coast. Mel Now I'm particularly interested in that a year on I'm having a pirate obsession myself at the moment. If they turned out to be really really popular for you they they have. Elizabeth And again the encouragement from Luke from Catherine to pursue that. I was absolutely delighted with one review where I wrote the reviewer said this has to be turned into a series. And and and again it goes back to what we were

#154 Grand Narratives & Epic Adventures: The Real Meaning of Romance, with Elizabeth Ellen Carter

You’ve written your novel and now it’s time to narrate it. Renee Conoulty is the author of novels and flash fiction that contain elements of dance, romance, and/or military life in a variety of genre – chick lit, women’s fiction, romantic comedy, contemporary romance, children’s books. She also has a book on how to narrate your own novels and stories, Narrated by the Author. In this episode, not only do we have the pleasure of listening to Renee read her work, we chat the following: ⬩ The pros and cons of self-narrating ⬩ Affordable equipment options ⬩ Narration tips ⬩ How to edit and master with free software ⬩ Audiobook distribution options ⬩ All the dumb things she did so you can learn from her mistakes ⬩ And much, much more! Did I mention there’s a workbook? It’s called Character Voices: a Workbook For Audio Narration. And a course that takes you through the whole process, step by step? Check it out here. You can find out more about Renee, her stories and how to narrate your own stories here. Last, if you want to lift your mood, how can you resist taking a peek at Swinging Through Life and Renee’s other stories, or better still, listen to her narrate them. Read Full Transcript Mel: And today I'd like to welcome Renee Conoulty. Rene is a swing dancer and writes stories of dance romance and the military life. And I used to love the old musicals where Fred Astaire danced around the light pole so I'm hoping you've got something like that in store for us today, Renee. Renee: I've got lots of things in store. Mel: I want to talk about your book on how we as authors can narrate our own audio books. You have a workbook and a course as well over at http://heysaidrenee.blogspot.com/ and we're going to talk through the process of narrating our own work which I know a lot of us are interested in but before we do that I’d like you to read some of your flash fiction. Renee, thank you very much for reading to us today and then talking this through the process of narrating it. Renee: No worries. The story I was going to read today is from my latest book which is called Swinging Through Life which is a collection of twelve flash fiction stories. So flash fiction is around the 500 word mark. All these stories are pretty much bang on 500 words but I've got another flash fiction collection that sort of varies a bit up to a thousand. The story I'm going to read today is called Sing Sing Sing. I like titling my books and stories after swing dance songs. So that's the song some people might have heard. And the main character in this story is codename Jane. And she also features in my first novel don't mean a thing. But she's...

#153 How To Narrate Your Novel, with Renee Conoulty

Are you ready to ditch your keyboard? Scott Baker is an expert in all things Dragon Dictation. If you want to learn to train your Dragon, Scott’s your man. Scott’s official bio: Scott Baker has written dozens of books under various pen names and spent most of the last decade working as a freelance writer for numerous publications in the UK. He first began dabbling with Dragon voice recognition software in the late 1990s when it was, quite frankly, terrible. Things have improved dramatically since then and Scott now uses dictation on a daily basis, taking advantage of the tricks and techniques used by professionals within the speech recognition industry to write thousands of words per hour. More importantly, he’s developed books and courses to help you master Dragon Dictation and incorporate it into your writing lifestyle. What you need to know: Learning Dragon Dictation will cost you money, time and practice. In this episode, we chat about the following: boosting your workflow 2-10k words transcription what equipment you will need to invest in workflow training your dragon Alexa, Google Home & Siri accuracy ditching your keyboard and much more   You can find out more about Scott, and Training Your Dragon books and courses here. You can listen to my first podcast chat with Scott here. You can download Issue 3 of Author Success Magazine here. Read Full Transcript Mel Scott Baker is an expert in all things Dragon Dictation. If you want to learn to train your Dragon, he’s your man. In this interview, we’re getting into the nitty gritty of how we can use the dictation tool to improve our writing. Scott, tell us about the course you’re running. Scott It basically takes you through everything you need to get started with Dragon and make the software part of your writing workflow. It’s available for both Mac and PC, and explores not just Dragon specifically but dictation itself – the act of using dictation, as opposed to just perfecting your use of the software. I made the course because, although I’ve written a book on this subject (‘How to Train Your Dragon’), there’s only so much you can put in a book. The amount of questions I get every single day… Most of my day is just answering emails, and I eventually thought it’d be easier if I could just show everyone – if I could just put it in a course. So that’s what I did. It’s hours and hours and hours long, but that’s okay because literally every single step is covered, from setting up to making it as accurate as it can be over time. It’s a course about using dictation as part of a business; about integrating it and viewing it as a long-term thing. The goal is to use dictation instead of a keyboard, really. Forget the keyboard – that’s for editing, later. The course is about getting your first draft done with Dragon. Mel Let’s start at the beginning. What’s the first thing we need to know? Scott I get a lot of people asking me that same question – how do I start? Unfortunately you’re going to have to accept that this is going to cost money. Whichever way you look at it, the software is expensive. But it’s an investment – an investment in your writing career. Dictation leads to an enormous boost to your workflow. Part of the reason I got started with it is I can’t type very fast. I’ve had...

#152 How To Boost Your Writing Work-Flow using Dragon Dictation, with Scott Baker

Lee Powell is a writer and expert in technology. He works with Angela Ackerman and her co-creator Becca Puglisi at One Stop for Writers. He also created the Windows version of renowned writing program Scrivener. When the team collaborated, they came up with the Character Building Tool, which combines Powell’s software design skills with Ackerman and Puglisi’s thesaurus writing skills. In this episode, we chat about the following: the importance of collaboration Scrivener for Windows One Stop For Writers the Character Building Tool following your passion what happens when creativity and coding meet integrating technology into the writing process lifelong learning the importance of deep thinking   You can find out more about Powell, One Stop For Writers and the Character Building tool here and buy Passion Driven here. You can download your FREE Issue 3 of Author Success Stories Magazine here for your chance to win one of two six-month subscriptions to One Stop For Writers. Entries close 31st March, 2019.   Read Full Transcript Mel Lee Powell is an expert in technology, who works with featured author Angela Ackerman and her co-creator Becca Puglisi on their site One Stop for Writers. He also created the Windows version of renowned writing program Scrivener. Lee I can’t take credit for the inception of Scrivener itself. Keith Blount created the program for the Mac – I actually had to buy a Mac to use it as I was studying in the UK. I wrote to him in 2008 and said, “This is an amazing tool. You have a total paradigm shift. It’s non-linear. It allows me to make a mess and write in any way I want. Have you thought about doing a Windows or Linux version?” He hadn’t. He was busy enough trying to rewrite the base version of Scrivener – the first write of that code had been a disaster. He’s not a programmer by trade. He was a teacher and working towards a PhD in medieval history, or something like that. When there was so much interest in Scrivener, he had to go back and write it properly. He’s a really interesting guy. We formed a reasonably good friendship over the years, and eventually he acquiesced to my petitioning and we started collaborating in 2008 or 2009. Mel What kind of process was involved in creating the program? Lee It took me about three years to even get to version one of Scrivener for Windows and Linux. We were so far behind the Mac – he had a seven-year start on me. As a software engineer by trade, I thought it would be reasonably easy. I’d been building banking, finance, and trading systems during my career. Unfortunately I was totally depressed. I used to write a lot when I was a kid (terrible novels that thankfully never saw the light of day). I used to write poetry and songs as well. I’m a terrible musician, but I’m quite good with the lyrics side of things. Scrivener saved me. I was in my late thirties and had all the things I thought I wanted in life – kids, family, my wife. We’ve been married for 28 years now. It’s had its ups and downs, and fundamentally we’re happy. But I was totally depressed. I thought, ‘I’ve got to get out of this corporate thing,’ but of course you get used to the money. It was a Catch-22. I just wanted to align myself with my core values. I’ve always loved writing, and the whole creative aspect of coding. The

#151 What Happens When a Software Developer & a Pair of Writers Get Together? with Lee Powell

Adam Croft is an Indie author and a counterpoint to anyone who says you can’t make a living through Indie publishing. He’s sold more than 1.5 million books and once bumped J.K. Rowling off the USA Today bestseller list. His ‘Knight and Culverhouse’ thrillers have sold more than 250,000 copies worldwide, and his Kempston Hardwick mysteries have been adapted as audio dramas starring some of the biggest names in British TV. He’s also published several books in his Indie Author Mindset series, a great tool for Indie authors.                       In this episode we discuss the following: Professionalism as an Indie Business & Creative hats Kindle v’s Wide Bookbub, FB & Amazon Ads Vellum & formatting Pre-orders, discounting and other stategies Thinking longterm Never giving up Levelling up & aiming higher Launch Strategies Branding & Marketing Keywords, tags an keeping your website up to date and more…   You can find out more about Croft and his books here. And don’t forget, if you haven’t subscribed to Author Success Magazine, you can check it out here. Read Full Transcript Mel Adam Croft is an Indie author and a counterpoint to anyone who says you can’t make a living through Indie publishing. He’s sold more than 1.5 million books and once bumped J.K. Rowling off the USA Today bestseller list. His ‘Knight and Culverhouse’ thrillers have sold more than 250,000 copies worldwide, and his Kempston Hardwick mysteries have been adapted as audio dramas starring some of the biggest names in British TV. He’s also published several books in his Indie Author Mindset series, a great tool for Indie authors. Adam, tell us about your success. Adam I think you covered it pretty succinctly there! I’ve been doing this for ten years now. It’s interesting that, as you say, people think you can’t make a living Indie publishing, when all the data points to the fact that, on the whole, Indie publishers sell more books and earn more money than traditionally published authors. Research last year showed that the average traditionally published author makes about A$16,000 a year. That’s remarkably low, and that’s for an author with a long sought-after publishing contract from one of the big houses! The misconception that Indie publishing is a fallback option is completely false. I turn down up to half a dozen publishing contracts a year – just by looking at them, I can see that they’re not going to earn...

#150 Career Strategies For Indie Authors, with Adam Croft

Karen Viggers is the award winning, internationally bestselling author of four novels, including her new release, The Orchardist’s Daughter. She writes contemporary realist fiction set in Australian landscapes, and her work explores connection with the bush, grief and loss, healing in nature, death, family, marriage and friendship. During our conversation, we discuss the following: the intersection of nature and humanity our connection to nature the big philosophical questions the importance of solitude and thinking deeply hope, intimacy, humour setting, character & narrative writing the landscape novel the music and rhythm of words what is literary fiction and more You can find out more about Viggers and her novels here. Read Full Transcript 

#149 Asking Big Questions: Writing The Landscape Novel, with Karen Viggers

Do you have a story to tell? Here at Writer on the Road, it’s the journey that matters. Regardless of where you are on your writing journey, Writer on the Road will inspire you to take your dreams and make them happen. So sit back and enjoy the show as I bring you guests who know what it’s like to go it alone and who are willing to reach out to the rest of us by sharing their stories; authors, publishers, entrepreneurs—people at all stages of the writing journey, just like you and me. It’s time, dear listeners, to answer the question for yourself: do you have a story to tell?

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