Publishing Secrets, The Prodigy Trap & Writing a Thriller at Any Age - Michael Wendroff

What happens when yougrow up surrounded by literary legends like Robert Ludlum and Truman Capote,write an award-winning MBA thesis on publishing marketing, but wait decadesbefore writing your debut thriller—and why is having industry connectionsuseless if you don't do the grueling work of typing the pages? Michael Wendroff is a traditionally published thriller author,marketing executive, and creator of the debut novel What GoesAround. The son of a New York publishing editor and a prominentliterary agent, Michael was immersed in the publishing elite from childhood.However, rather than becoming a 20-something literary prodigy, he pursued adecades-long career running a global strategic marketing agency. When theCOVID-19 pandemic removed his final excuses, Michael sat down to craft thepsychological thriller he had dreamed of writing since birth. Today, What Goes Around is in its third printing, with audioand foreign translation rights sold in Italian, Hungarian, and Japanese. In this episode of FailCraft, Michael joins Ezekiel to demystify thepublishing industry. He pulls back the curtain on the multi-tiered editorialgauntlet (from developmental edits to line-by-line proofreading), explains whymodern authors must treat their work as 50% writing and 50% aggressivemarketing, shares stories of watching Robert Ludlum write manuscripts by handon yellow legal pads, and gives practical advice to anyone worried it is toolate to launch their creative second act. In this episode of FailCraft,you will discover:·        The"Prodigy" Trap:Overcoming the pressure of literary expectations and delayed callings [02:02 /03:46]. ·        LiteraryGiants Up Close: Watching RobertLudlum write 400-page thrillers by hand in St. Thomas [04:15 / 07:52]. ·        TheNYU MBA Thesis & Truman Capote: Getting paid to write before entering corporate marketing[07:52 / 09:28]. ·        DelayingGratification: Why waiting decadesto write is research, not failure [10:03 / 11:32]. ·        TheBrutal Editorial Gauntlet:Navigating structural edits, copyediting, line edits, and proofreading [11:55 /15:24]. ·        The50/50 Rule: Why moderntraditional publishers require authors to hustle their own marketing [15:44 /17:58]. ·        Craftingthe Second Act: Joining writers'groups, studying masterclasses, and attending ThrillerFest [18:24 / 21:00]. Connect With Michael Wendroff:·        WebsiteHub: Learn more about theauthor and his upcoming projects at michaelwendroff.com. ·        Book: What Goes Around(Available on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, eBook, and audiobook: https://amzn.to/43wg9Cz). Support the Show:·        Fuel the FailCraftMission: https://iferia.nestuge.com/supportme ·        Subscribe, leave areview, and share this episode with any writer, creative, or professionalbuilding a second career! Want to Be a Guest onFailCraft?·        Connect with Ezekielon PodMatch: https://podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/failcraft Chapters:00:00 Introduction:Michael Wendroff & The Prodigy Myth02:02 The Impetus of"What Goes Around": A Lifelong Creative Seed04:15 Growing UpAround Literary Giants: Robert Ludlum & Literary Agents07:52 Meeting TrumanCapote & Writing an MBA Thesis on Publishing10:03 The DelayedDream: Stepping into Marketing Before Writing Fiction11:55 Surviving theEditorial Gauntlet: From Beta Readers to Proofs15:44 The ModernPublishing Reality: 50% Writing, 50% Marketing18:24 PracticalWriting Advice: Learning the Craft at Any Age21:25 Connect withMichael Wendroff & What Goes Around