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It’s time for another free-for-all Q and A with the guys from the Self Publishing Podcast, Sean Platt, Johnny B Truant, and David Wright.How do you guys come up with titles for your books?How would you recommend audiobooks be made?Do we have dates for the next Smarter Artist?What lessons did you learn running the Bootcamp?What is your advice for a writer about to start genre-hopping?Any strong thoughts on changing POV between installments of a series?What options do you prefer for your Print Space copy and why?Are you shifting all of your podcasts over to Zoom? What didn’t you like Hangouts?When is the SA book on writing craft going to be released?When you said you’ve gotten more strategic about genre-hopping, what did you mean?I heard Barnes and Noble was allowing self-publishers in their stores if you sell enough through Nook first, what do you think?What did you think of Mr. Robot?When you begin to create different imprints within your LLC with different genres, is there legality with this in terms of fictitious names?You said short stories don’t sell well on Amazon; is there a platform where the DO sell well?If you have your own ISBN numbers are there any issues using multiple printers simultaneously?What are your thoughts about putting a price on the bar codes?I have a growing list but haven’t talked to them; how do I promote my new book?When working with a collaborator, how can we move forward and brainstorm despite distractions and disagreements?Been struggling with Scrivener’s compile feature; will StoryShop allow me to abandon Scrivener?How do you combat losing passion in collaboration?As a new author with no readers, what are tips on building your audience under a pen name while staying anonymous?When plotting a story, do come up with the simple synopsis first?I’m close to uploading a series; how can I deal with permafree, Select, and exclusivity?What constitutes a series when all the books are in the same world, but under different genres and POV’s?Have you seen any movies that inspired you lately?I have 90,000 reads for my book on Wattpad; why would my readers follow me and pay money on another platform?Have you tried Facebook live?How do you recommend overlapping series and short stories?Any suggestions on how to price a book?Besides writing, what creative activities do you get up to?I have a series all written, 11 books, would it be weird to space out the release dates, and how should I do it?SmashWords has been giving me a hard time with uploads and Scrivener format, what should I do?What will StoryShop backers get long-term?What advice do you have for people who suck at marketing, other than ‘get over it?’Any thoughts on Kindle Scout? What about royalties, etc.?Is there a publishing platform that allows royalties to be split between two or more parties?When can we expect Audible releases for The Beam and Invasion?Can I use movie, book, and song lyrics/phrases in my book?What’s the status on the AI module of StoryShop?I’ve got a book ready to go and nothing else; what should I do?Could you do a quick wrap-up of the various platforms for indies?Will you have a Hemmingway or Grammarly function in StoryShop?Would you make your style guide public?I started with KDP Select; when is a good time to go wide?What does KDP Select do besides give you extra royalties?The post AUA14 Ask Us Anything for July 2016 appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

Today’s episode brings you a lot of Amazon questions, several series questions and book release strategies. There are also some questions about outsourcing, tools the guys use, the ‘discoverability engine,’ and projects on the horizon, on Ask Us Anything with Sean and Johnny.The post AUA Ask Us Anything for June 2015 appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

Ask Us Anything for May 2016I just finished a trilogy; do you think there’s any value to promote books two and three, or should I promote the first one as the lead in?What update do you have on the StoryShop app?Do you register or copyright with the US copyright office?I’m launching my first novel in September. I have five short stores and a small tribe; how do I convert them?About to do a 99Designs cover; what cover types will Amazon allow for ads and what should I avoid?What do you think of the new GoodReads/Kindle books?What are the options for links on Smashwords?I took a business class that talked about the list-building benefits of a webinar. Is there a fiction equivalent to a non-fiction webinar?What kind of self-talk did you guys give yourself to create a daily writing habit before you started making money with your books?How do you focus on fiction when copywriting is paying the bills?If a creator is looking to relocate to Austin, what should they be aware of?I learned that for every click a person has to click, you lose 17% to friction. Yes?Are there any valuable lessons you’ve learned by starting the Legendary imprint?Is there any reason to have a Nook or iBook author account if you already have one on Smashwords?Is there a special time that people buy books, i.e. weekends?Do you believe there’s an optimal number of books in a series, and how many?What do you guys think of the Kindle Scout program?If you’re writing serials, will you end up spending more on covers and editing?Is there a release date for Devil May Care?When and how should one find a mastermind, and is it worth it for fiction?What are your thoughts on publishing a paperback novella?How has the funnel changed for juvenile fiction changed since Write. Publish. Repeat.?When do you give away a book for free, and how do you do it?What would you do to launch your first book today, knowing what you know now?How do I get people to buy my books as a standup comedian?What happened to Lexi Maxwell?My top platform is Google Play, but it seems closed down to new people. Is that the case?Is perma-free still working?Do eBooks sell well on Google Play?Just published my first title on KDP Select; ultimately I’d like to go wide. What promotion tools are available on other platforms?What is your best recommendation for getting reviews for new authors without a list or following?What are some books, apps, etc., you’ve bought that make scriptwriting easier?What do you think of review-a-thons and award prizes? Is it legal?Could you do an episode comparing the pros and cons between KDP Select and Scout?How much actual WRITING does Sean do? Does he sleep?Will you consider publishing other indies?The post AUA09 Ask Us Anything for May 2016 appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

AUA08 Ask Us Anything for February 2016Will there be print copies of Iterate and Optimize?What’s the best way to get reviews before publication?How is StoryShop coming along? Will it be ready by the Summit?Do you think 753 pages is too long for a book?Have you guys seen Deadpool yet?I’m a month away from publishing, and I’ve got books 1 and 2 and a novella, so what do I do next?Are there any plans to revive the nuts and bolts series?What laptops do you use for writing that could double for gaming?When you first started working together, how did you preserve friendship while providing critique and getting better?The Smarter Artist Summit looks like it will have a lot of great speakers; will it be arranged into breakout sessions?I published Season 1 of a series in KDP. I put them in Select for a while, so what can I do to take them off? Is there a strategy for free days, etc?Titling has become a problem for a series, as well as how they are listed in Amazon. Any hacks there?I finished my novel. Should I go digital and print, or just digital?Do you have recommendations for structural and line edits?Have you guys ever broken the fourth wall with your writing, i.e. a company website found in a book?When you first started out, did you feel like no one ‘got’ your writing?If Dave decided he didn’t want to work with Sean any more, would it ruin you guys?You have a current government, would you have the choice to pick something else?Will you guys be bringing more authors into the company in the future?If you have had good feedback and good reviews, what should I do?If you write multiple genres, should you have multiple pen names, and how do you present them?The post AUA08 Ask Us Anything for February 2016 appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

ExplicitAUA07 Ask Us Anything for January 2016If you were just starting out writing Yesterday’s Gone, would you go with episodes again?Will there be any writing clinics at the Smarter Artist Summit?Will Dave actually be at the Summit?What do you guys think is the key metric for keeping track of writing improvement?Given others are creating courses; is the opportunity passed? Will you do it, too, or focus on fiction only?Is Dave getting sexier?What happened with the Iterate and Optimize release?How do you keep from biting each other’s heads off?I got Fiction Unboxed; does it make sense to wait for 2.0 rather than pushing through 1.5 right now?How do I review a boxed set if you’ve read each book in the set and already reviewed it?If you offer a story perma-free, is there any problem charging for it in the box set or vice versa?Thanks for doing these; have you thought about doing a show about taxes for freelancers?Which story drained you the most emotionally, written or read?Will the Summit be an annual event?Are all your imprints publishing – or planning to publish – a book a month this year?Will the Legendary imprint be only Garrett and Sean, or will Dave and Johnny join in?What do you see as the greatest potential changes in 2016, and how will that affect business strategies, if at all?Do you ever take courses from other authors?I can’t make it to the Smarter Artist Summit this year; is there any way you can record the panels and discussions and make them available for purchase?Can you talk about writing to your audience, the pros and cons, etc.?Should I use different pen names for each genre?Everyone says you should write after your morning power routine, but my word count is 1/10th of what it is if I write later. How do I remind myself to write when I’m at my peak?What’s the best way to grow an email list?What do you do if you have an awesome character but don’t have a plot to put them in?Is there anything you guys are looking forward to writing one day?Do you know how to insert a unique identifier in each book?If you’re just starting with the first two books in a series, would you finish the series before starting out with new material?You don’t use beta readers; are you that confident in yourselves and each other?Are there an genres where you’d seek out traditional publishing over self publishing?Would you explain how to do the perma-free trick on Amazon?Do you have any thoughts on new Amazon previews?How do you keep up the pace after an emotionally draining book?Any resolutions for publishing a series this year?How do you go about using a pseudonym?How do you know when it’s time to stop researching and start drafting?How many books/volumes are ideal for Amazon series?Is there an application for Stone Table or is it invitation only?Are you still planning on writing romantic novels yourselves?The post AUA07 Ask Us Anything for January 2016 appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

How do you guys come up with titles for your stories?Should we write a bunch of stuff one year before we start marketing next year?What can you tell us about the conference you’re hosting? You CAN sign up now at smarterartistsummit.com !What is a beat in a story?Tips for finding a great writing group?How do you find beta readers?You have such active imaginations; how did they get so developed?How do you decide which genre fits your fiction?I’m curious about the growth of novellas; what’s the page count minimum and how should I price them?I see a lot of author giveaways; how much is too much?Do you know any great reader forums?Have you ever thought about releasing your ideas to your fans to write?When you first started outline, were you able to estimate how long the book would be?Who is designing your covers?What keyboards to you like to use?Storyshop: will Storyshop have testers, and will they come from the Kickstarter group?I’m writing a series; will Amazon consider each episode and the box set distinct?How do you go about finding a good editor?Have you hit a writing slump, and how did you get over it?Where would you guys be if you hadn’t met?Do you have any Dream Engine plans for 2016?What are mistakes you’ve made in the past you can laugh at now?Should I put a publisher’s name if I don’t have one? Can I make one up?What’s your opinion about virtual book tours?If you were to wake up tomorrow and S&S didn’t exist, what would you do to start it right now?If you could recommend one fiction and one non-fiction book for 2016, what would they be?Do you have a list of the feedback Sean wrote for Garrett (mentioned in SPP)?How do I jumpstart my readership?The post AUA06 December 2015 appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

Every month, Sean, Johnny, and Dave sit down with listeners and answer their questions, from the practical to the weird, and the relevant to the WTF. What were fans dying to know this month?1.       In case you were wondering Storyshop was FULLY FUNDED! So this won’t be a StoryShop AUA episode.2.       How will I know if he really loves me?3.       What happened to Lexi Maxwell? I saw her books had been mostly removed from Amazon? And what about Max Power?4.       Why have an editor when you have three sets of eyes?5.       Do you have any opinions on or experience with giveaways to build a mailing list?6.       I’m still not clear how StoryShop will relate to Scrivener. What about characters?7.       Are you planning to pitch your screenplay scripts to Amazon Studios?8.       Do you feel that all good stories should show the lead character growing into a different person than they were in the beginning?9.       What do you use for keeping the timelines of your stories in order?10.   Do you have a nuts and bolts article of how you organize Sterling and Stone?11.   What do you do when and if you lose interest in a story at some point?12.   My website needs to be two separate sites, one for fiction, and one for non-fiction. How should I approach that and what should I watch out for?13.   Why do Johnny and Dave have interesting things in the background and Sean has a blank wall?14.   For IRS purposes, what’s the difference between being a company and a solo artist?15.   Do you ever take other authors and publish them on your imprint?16.   What do you think about keeping free product on my website to build my list versus putting free products on Amazon?17.   Any hints on when we’ll get Whitespace 3?18.   How do I avoid confusion if my series includes satellite novels, novellas and short stories?19.   I created a magic system I thought was unique, but then I read a book that has basically the same system, and the book is popular. Is it okay to just do my idea?20.   If some big Hollywood producer approached you to write Carebears 3, would you do it, and what would the price point be?21.   I’m about to genre-hop. I know you guys don’t recommend it, but do you have any advice since I’m doing it anyway?22.   Over the last year, I’ve been hearing about building the email list. What about list fatigue for readers?23.   Could you touch on the differences between AWeber and MailChimp?24.   If you only have one book and are not sure when the next will come out, do you start building your list? What do you do?25.   What do you guys think of the new Star Wars trailer?26.   I have a big audience, but not enough to pay an editor. What should I do?The post AUA05 Ask Us Anything for October appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

*Special note: Storyshop funded! 1.       How frequently do you revise your beats during the writing process, or should you revise them at all?2.       How do you choose what domain name to use for your website?3.       If we’re all going to die anyway, what’s the point?4.       What can I do to prepare for 30 days of optimal writing, a la NaNoWriMo? Sean talks foreplay…5.       My perfect title is already used, and my characters’ names are too like others… what are the risks of using them anyway?6.       Are you guys going to release any more Udemy courses?7.       Is your story software coming out this year?8.       Outside a mailing list, what method would you use to get reviews for your books?9.       Do you guys write exclusively in Scrivener? You’ve also mentioned Pages.10.   For Dream Engine and CreateSpace, what font is the main body of the text?11.   My novel has grown to a trilogy but I’m having trouble filling the second book with enough conflict and action. Any tips?12.   Do Sean or Dave know Johnny’s real name?13.   Do you notice any sales differences in a book categorized as YA for print?14.   Is it just me or does everyone’s first book suck balls?15.   How do you keep yourselves motivated to write every day?16.   At what age did each of you lose your virginity?17.   What are you guys: boxers or briefs?18.   Why change the name from BOU?19.   Would you ever do a re-release of a book with additional content?20.   After years of trying to write a novel a molecule at a time, and now I’m trying to loosen up. Any advice in building your trust in your own first draft in writing?21.   Is the app (Storyshop) going to be available for Windows 10?22.   You guys talk about going wide, it seems like I’m putting a lot on the table for nothing. Any advice?23.   Do you use beats to write short stories?24.   I’m writing YA, and thinking to make the first book free. What’s a good strategy if you have no audience?25.   Johnny mentioned he trained himself to write while listening to music. Is it a matter of powering through if it’s distracting at first? What kind of music do you listen to?26.   Do you guys invest much time in metadata when publishing online?27.   Have you ever sent your work to beta readers and received conflicting reviews, and how did you guide your decisions?28.   Do you have any recommendations for hitting the ‘reset button?’ What’s your advice for doing so?29.   Do you plan on using Storyshop in place of Scrivener or in conjunction with it?The post AUA04 Ask Us Anything for September 2015 appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

Just like every month, Johnny, Sean, and Dave answer listener questions about creativity, writing, and creating art in general.What is the best day of the week to launch a book?How should I price books for Kindle monthly deals?Do you guys look at budding authors to critique and possibly partner with? If not, who would you recommend?Is the S&S website still being redesigned? What WP template do you recommend for authors?Is Authorpreneur’s Almanac coming back?What were your favorite books growing up and what inspired you to write? I’m especially curious about Dave’s favorites.Do you have any resources that can help me learn to write more descriptively?How do you rank the importance of a self-hosted website in your marketing plan?If I did only one thing to promote my launch, what would that one thing be?How do I decide what to blog about, when it comes to fiction?I want to update some of my published books. Is it better to un-publish and start new, or update them on Amazon?How do you get those first few ‘true fans?’Are there any indies out there making thousands of dollars selling paper books?I’ve been struggling to get into/back into writing? I’m at a loss of ideas! What do I do?Do any of you ever feel responsibility to your characters, like you don’t want to offend them?Why do you prefer Mac over PC?Please explain that 30-day thing on Amazon again!How do you push past your fears and just… PUBLISH?How long does the 99 Designs process take from start to finish? How far out do you start working on those things before your book is ready to publish?I’m converting a novel to a serial, and I also draw comics. I was thinking about marketing with ‘deleted scenes’ comics; do you think that would work?Would you wait to launch a serial until you have a few polished episodes, or just go for it?What about a Sterling and Stone app that lets people know immediately when new stuff is released?Will you clarify how you do a pre-sell or first week promotion when you have bonus content?I’m having trouble getting reviews through my list. Am I attracting the wrong people?How do you funnel down a ton of ideas into one solid plan?Would you recommend setting up a table and selling books at local sci-fi/fantasy/etc. conventions? Is it worth the time?I just got a book about publishing from Amazon, and in the center of it, there were 30 pages about how to buy and convert a shipping container home. Wut?The post AUA03 Ask Us Anything for August 2015 appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

Today, Johnny, Sean, and Dave field questions about the new app StoryShop. You can show your support for the development of this app at SterlingandStone.net/StoryShop.StoryShop isn’t a replacement for apps like Scrivener – instead, it’s the perfect pre-writing app that exports to writing apps.Beginning with the Character section, the ease of use is apparent. The character pages look much like a social media profile, with intuitive ways to add details (Character DNA) and relationships.Q: Can you explain why Scrivener isn’t sufficient for this?The Setting section is much more visually-minded, and images will be extremely easy to add.Things are all connected – from beats to characters to settings – and the process of referencing information about one from within the other will be very streamlined.StoryShop will be iterative. Features will be improved and added over time.Q: How do you upload an image, and where can it come from? What about sound files?Q: Do you need beta testers for the app?Q: What will the app cost?Q: Is it a subscription model, or will there be a cheaper or free version?Q: Where can the info I enter into the StoryShop app be exported?Q: Will there be a timeline in the app?Q: Will there be a desktop only version? Can you use it offline?Q: Will there be an aspect where users can reference genre and story arc types?Q: What bugs will you be featuring in version 1? Q: Will people be able to suggest features for future iterations of the app?Q: Are there early bird specials for people who support the app during the Kickstarter funding phase?The post AUA02 Special StoryShop Bonus Episode appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

6:28: What one thing have you done marketing wise that you think has had the most effect on your book sales? Also, with the theme this year of optimizing, what is the biggest difference? how are you tracking changes? 8:19: I’m about to release my second book in a trilogy spending 2015 as my production year and starting marketing when my trio is done. Do you think this is a reasonable plan, and what marketing would you suggest I start with end of 2015-ish? 10:45: Have you ever published a book that did not go well? As a new author, you are told to build your list, what is the best way to do this when you are starting from scratch. 13:18: Is the dream engine world still open to write in? 16:01: I loved episode 164 Trusting The Process. Really it was one of my favorites. Please have room in the 2.0 for free-form discussions like this. 17:20: How many people are on your list now? 18:30: How can I get on all of your lists? I seem to get only a few sporadically and would like to be more involved in your podcasts, events and writing. What is the url so I can sign up? 22:22: You had been funneling everyone into Sterling and Stone and now seemed to have stepped back it CI and Realm & Sands have you reconsidered marketing to specific genre’s? 24:41: Space Shuttle is going to be huge someday… In Japan. Do you guys use line editing or full on developmental editing? 28:59: Have you ever thought about adding other authors to Sterling & Stone like you did with Lexxi? 32:21: What about the Smarter Artist list? I tried to Join it a couple time but got no opt in email. 35:05: Are you guys moving away from serials and only doing series once your current ones are finished? Love the show and fiction. Axis of Aaron and White Space are my favorite. 39:34: As a romance author, what do you think or have you heard of authors seeing sales or brand recognition from posting in Face Book groups. 40:39: In Write. Publish. Repeat, you said the key to your business model was the high volume of output with lots of series. Do you believe that series should be finished before they are published? What if I were to release several books from different series? At what point would you reduce the price of the first volume in the series to free? 44:36: Do you see yourself writing more standalone novels after you have finished most of your ongoing series? 47:57: How can you tell if a specific story or story world is right for serials versus novel status? I imagine anything that can be serialized could stand as a novel but not necessarily the reverse would be true. 50:33: Sean prepared a nice program for using social media last year, but it seems S&S is not proceeding with that plan. Did you find that social media did not give you a good return for the time and money spent or was it for some other reason? 56:42: I’m a screen writer wanting to write fiction, but I’m having a problem getting out of present tense in a script. 1:03:09: Can you please make a mystery thriller series? Not you Dave, I hate it when the dog dies. 1:04:00: How do you make a book permanently free? 1:05:02: Besides your own brief discussion if non-fiction in Write. Publish. Repeat, what other books and/or authors would you recommend regarding outlining for non-fiction. 1:06:45: Should your strategy be finding phrase keywords that searchers will most likely enter, or using Amazons suggested single words to get into sub-categories? 1:09:21: Does inserting additional keywords meta-data in the header of the mobi file offer addition entry into search engine categories? 1:11:11: How does the Create Space Category Chosen when one publishes the print version of a book, synergize with the Kindle Categories? Strategies here… 1:11:52: I want to put a short story a month on my website. Each month the previous story would come down and a new one would go up. Then after a while, I would batch them together with a bonus story to purchase. Is there anyway to put a kill switch in e-book files so the book deletes or locks at the end of the month the way rentals do? Force an update, as I understand it, the owner of the device has to agree to update files or set it up as a periodical so people can read it for the month it’s free on their favorite device, or if I’ll have to have it on my website and people who don’t like it can buy it later? 1:14:57: I listened to the audiobook version of Write. Publish. Repeat and the narrator seemed to be completely different in tone from your podcast, was this a decision on your part or a decision or a decision of your publisher? 1:16:56: perhaps beyond the scope of self-publishing fiction, but what are your thoughts on self-publishing public interactions from social media; twitter, Google, blog comments ect, into say a non-fiction book? any legal or ethical considerations. 1:20:56: If you were a quality fantasy artist and wanted to write a fantasy novel, do you think it would help for sales? If so, how would you exploit/take advantage of your talent in your marketing? 1:22:24: If I’m doing a self-help sort of series, can I attempt to publish many times with different titles and covers but with a large portion of similar content in each? Does Amazon check the content?The post AUA01 Ask Us Anything For July 2015 appeared first on Sterling & Stone.

Bestselling authors Sean Platt, Johnny B Truant, and David Wright sit down with the Sterling and Stone community to answer questions, ranging from how to write more effectively, to how to market your work more efficiently.The post Introduction to Ask Us Anything appeared first on Sterling & Stone.