Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing EP 018 - Finding The Right Professional with Ricardo Fayet from Reedsy

In Episode 18, Mark interviews Ricardo Fayet, one of the founders of Reedsy, an online marketplace connecting authors with top editors, designers, ghostwriters and publicists. An avid reader and a person who travels the world to attend industry events and author conferences, Ricardo shares his insights and tips for authors, including a number of free resources that authors should be taking advantage of. In the introductory segment, Mark shares an update on the forthcoming half-marathon he has been training for with his partner, Liz, and also shares some information about their next collaborative project, the book Spirits Untapped: Haunted Bars & Breweries. In the Terrible Tongue Twister segment, sponsored by Findaway Voices, Mark doesn't trip over his tongue. It's a first in this ongoing series that makes Mark usually look like quite the fool. In their interview, Ricardo and Mark discuss: How Ricardo got involved in co-founding Reedsy straight out of business school via discussions with co-founder Emmanuel Nataf about the need for authors to find quality professional services The travel, book shows and author conferences Reedsy travels to and the growth the company has seen both internally and the many freelancers that are on the platform The vetting that is done for the professional services offered and how only 3% of applicants are approved to be listed on the platform How an author would use Reedsy to find, for example, a developmental editor for a particular genre (using Mark working on a non-fiction paranormal book, as an example) The various service providers that you will find listed on Reedsy (including editors, book design, book cover design, illustrators, web designers, ghost writers, publicity and promotions and book marketers) The free online editing tool (Reedsy Book editor) that allows authors to export a perfectly formatted ePub or PDF document for POD printing The more than 35 free online email text-based courses that Reedsy has available. (Which provide a daily 5 minutes per day way for an author to learn something new that they are interested in) How Reedsy makes money, and a comparison to another company that offered services and wasn't transparent about their business model Ricardo's impression of the industry having just returned from London Book Fair The predators whose practices prey on the hopes and dreams of writers and Ricardo's frustration with these companies Trends in the maturing indie publishing community that Ricardo is paying attention to both in English language markets as well as in Europe in German, French and Italian Why authors shouldn't just jump in and hire a marketing expert (one of the most common questions Ricardo receives) and the Book Marketing 101 Free Course on Reedsy that helps authors learn the core basics that can help them before they look at hiring a book marketer   After the interview, Mark shares his thoughts and reflections on the free resources available, specifically calling out some of the free Reedsy resources that Ricardo mentions and how authors might be able to incorporate those types of free learning opportunities into their daily routine. He thanks the patrons who are supporting the podcast on Patreon and thanks listeners for offering him their free time in listening to the podcast. Use this affiliate link to sign up for a free account at Reedsy and get a $20 credit towards any purchases there. Links of Interest: Reedsy Blog Online Editing Tool Free Online Courses Ricardo's Article on 12 Book Marketing Mistakes Authors Make - https://blog.reedsy.com/book-marketing-mistakes/ The Creative Penn Podcast Kindlepreneur website Tomes of Terror: Haunted Bookstores & Libraries Free Friday Frights NINC (Novelist's INC) Conference Haslam's Bookstore Sixty Spooky Seconds about the ghost of Jack Kerouac