The Author Wheel Podcast

Do you have an intentional author brand?

If not, today's guest is bound to help. In fact, in this interview, she did an on-the-spot workshop with Megan, helping her rethink her own social media content strategy! If you want practical tips and real-world examples, you have to listen in on this one.

Melanie Herschorn wants to help you step into your spotlight as an authority. As a book marketing and publishing...

Ever wonder why some books grab you from the first line, while others fail to spark your interest?

This week's quick tips are all about the opening hook.

Tip #1: Some people never read past the first paragraph, let alone the first page. Make it count!

Tip #2: Know the difference between in medias res and place en scene. Choose your start carefully.

We will be taking a break for the summe...

Walking the knife's edge between depth and brevity...

Today's guest is a master of the short story and professor at George Mason University. He's built a career in the trenches of the literary magazine world, where every word counts.

Our conversation digs deep into the art of the scene, with a ton of practical advice to keep readers turning pages no matter the length of your book.

Art Taylo...

Don't be a bunny. Avoid head hopping.  

We're tackling one of Megan's biggest pet peeves this week; head hopping, or changing character point of view without a visual transition in between.

It happens when authors switch from the internal monologue or emotions of one character into another character, within the same scene, without a scene break or chapter break to identify the new point of view.

The journey of a writer is a blend of art and commerce, heart and head.

"Intuitive Editing is the process of taking the hard craft skills and melding it with creating the story that you're trying to create, not the one that some writing guru or dogma has suggested would be the right structure for you."

This week we're thrilled to have editor Tiffany Yates Martin on the show. She is strong belie...

In this week's quick tips, we're taking a deep dive into the info dump.

What's that, you ask?

An info dump happens with the author writes everything they know about a character, setting, or their worldbuilding into a single stretch of prose. It's really common, especially for newer writers who  feel like they need to explain everything for the reader.

TL:DR - You don't.

B...

Books get claimed by the world...

In this week's episode, we're taking a deep dive into audience building, author platform, and finding your tribe with publisher and agent, David Morris.

David Morris is the publisher of Lake Drive Books and a literary agent at Hyponymous Consulting, two innovative ventures working together to specialize in authors and books that help people heal, grow, and discover. Dav...

Ever struggled to write dialogue that sounds natural and captures the essence of your characters?

This week's quick tips will help you overcome that challenge.

Tip #1: Listen to people talk in real life. Hang out in different locations with people from different walks of life. They don't speak the same!

Tip #2: Don't overdo dialect. While you want your characters to be unique, you don&apos...

We're entering a new era for the indie author...

In the last few years we've once more seen seismic shifts in the self-publishing industry. 
No one understands that better than author consultant Joe Solari, who recently took the reins of what was once the 20Books to 50k conference. Rebranding under the Author Nation banner, Joe has been on the front lines, helping authors marry their artistic dreams with conc...

Want to create deeper, more three-dimensional characters?

Today's quick tips are geared to help you do just that.

Tip #1: Use the Enneagram to understand your character's motivations, fears, and desires. Make sure this stays consistent throughout your story.

Tip #2: Give your character a flaw or a quirk. Make it a visual representation of their internal story arc for extra depth and development...

From a family band to scriptwriting to romance novels and teaching...

Ines Johnson joins us on the show this week to talk about understanding the market and finding your place in the trends. She's a master at finding patterns and applies that skill to the art of storytelling while meeting reader needs. Lucky for us, she's also a teacher at heart. This episode is a masterclass for writers at every stage.

How do you research your novel? How do you avoid procrastinating via research?

In this week's Quick Tips we're tackling the pre-planning journey of research.

Tip 1: Set limits, create deadlines, and use timers.

Tip 2: Understand the type of research you need. Is it traditional, freeform, or experiential? Each type has its benefits and drawbacks, so know what you're doing before you fall do...

The new digital-first traditional publisher...

It's been awhile since we talked about the differences, pros and cons of traditional versus indie publishing.

As our tagline says, "We believe there's no single right way to produce, publish, or promote your writing, only what works for you!"

Which is why we're excited to have Stephanie Carey on the show. Steph is the Commissioning E...

Ever felt like your creative well has run dry?

In this week's Quick Tips we're tackling brainstorming and writing creativity.

Tip 1: You are what you eat so consume good content.

Tip 2: Capture and expand on your ideas. 

If you’re enjoying this podcast, please consider supporting the show. For a few dollars a month, you can help us cover the ongoing expenses—like hosting and editing—th...

What makes a reader experience? How do you build a sustainable author career?

We're thrilled to have Kevin Tumlinson back on the show this week to talk about what he's coined "The Artisan Age." If you follow the podcast you know that we interviewed Kevin for our first episode of 2024, but we felt like we didn't have time to cover all the issues we wanted to talk about, including the rise of the rea...

This week is all about the book series. How do you plan your writing to build an expansive world? What are the kinds of series you can choose from? (Psst: there's more than one!)

Tip #1: Think big, even if you have a small town.

Tip #2: Identify the type of series that's best for your story.

If you’re enjoying this podcast, please consider supporting the show. For a few dollars a month, you can ...

Ever feel like your voice as an author gets lost in the crowd? 

In this week's interview, Matty Dalrymple of the Indy Author Podcast joins us to talk all about podcasting for authors. If you've ever wondered what it takes to be on a podcast, or start your own, this is the episode for you. It's a conversation packed with practical tips and advice you won't want to miss.

Matty Dalrymple is the au...

As we jump into April, we're sharing some of our favorite tips in the pre-writing stage, starting with Worldbuilding!

Tip #1: No matter the genre, every book needs a world, so don't forget to build one.

Tip #2: Keep your own rules to avoid breaking reader immersion.

If you’re enjoying this podcast, please consider supporting the show. For a few dollars a month, you can help us cover the ongoing ...

Personalizing the pyramid of needs...

This week, we're thrilled to have Melissa Storm join us on the Author Wheel Podcast to talk about writing craft, authorpreneurship, being a hybrid author, crossing genre lines, writing under pennames, mental health, wellness, and more. It's an absolutely fabulous interview packed with actionable advice for writers across all levels.

New York Times and USA Today best...