The Second Chapter

In Episode 15, Wendy and Andrew discuss their current novels-in-progress, as well as the challenges of restarting a project or a habit after a fallow period or a break away.

In Episode 14 we discuss lessons learned after Andrew's novel Dig Two Graves has been published for one month, breaking down sales, royalties, and advertising expenses. We also discuss challenges Wendy is facing with her current novel-in-progress, writing in multiple story lines with multiple points of view.

We welcome Ty Drago, author of 13 published novels in a range of genres, and publisher of Allegory, an online magazine of SF, Fantasy & Horror. We discuss what he’s currently working on—including his forthcoming six-book historical saga, The New Americans—his writing and editing regimen, his experience with critique groups, agents, and publishers, the advent of AI, motivation—and the time he shared a convention booth with Harry Harrison! We got a lot out of this wide-ranging conversation with Ty, and we’re sure you will too!

In Episode 12, we discuss Andrew's Facebook and Amazon ad campaigns for Dig Two Graves, two weeks after publication of the e-book. We take a look at the ads he's made, and peek under the hood to see what's working, and what's not. Wendy also attended an event for Philadelphia author Liz Moore for the paperback release of her most recent novel, The God of the Woods.

In which we discuss the steps Andrew took to gather advance reader reviews and editorial reviews to help build buzz for his new novel, Dig Two Graves, now available on Amazon, including such sites as Literary Titan, Readers’ Favorite, Booksprouts, Hidden Gems, and Goodreads’ Giveaway program. We also dig into Wendy’s reaction to Dig Two Graves, and her progress with her novel, Twist It with Care.

In which we discuss the publication of the paperback edition of Andrew’s new novel, Dig Two Graves: A Noir Thriller of Revenge, revealing the cover and outlining the publication and marketing plan for the ebook. We also discuss AI, whether we’ve been using it and in what ways we’ve found it useful. We also discuss the challenges of writing stories with multiple points of view, as Wendy is tackling in her current novel-in-progress. 

In this episode we discuss keeping our writing from interrupting our vacations--while preventing vacations from derailing our writing! We also share our fave beach reads from the summer, including Allison Buccola's Catch Her When She Falls, Matt Haig's The Life Impossible, Coco Mellors's Blue Sisters, Pierce Brown's Red Rising, John Williams's Stoner, and Gail Tsukiyama's The Samurai's Garden.

In which we take a look at three cover designs for Andrew's upcoming noir novel, Dig Two Graves. We discuss his process for researching comparable titles (comps), both for marketing and cover design purposes, as well as how covers fit into an author's overall "branding" scheme.

We discuss Wendy's current approach to querying agents, how Andrew queried and landed his agent, use of QueryTracker and agents' manuscript wish lists, and staying motivated in the querying "trenches."

In which we discuss planning and plotting a new novel--which Wendy is presently doing--including plotting vs “pantsing,” Word vs Scrivener, external arcs vs internal arcs, single POV vs multiple POVs, first person vs third person, and whether our ideas tend to grow out of character, plot, setting, or something else entirely. There’s a lot to consider before starting out!

In which we discuss finding your social media platform, and finding your balance in terms of time spent creating “content” for the socials while also carving out time for writing and editing; the importance of adopting the mindset of a producer rather than a consumer to avoid getting sucked into the social media vortex; matching up your ideal reader with your ideal viewer; as well as lessons and best practices we’ve learned so far from our experiences on social media.Wendy's Books: https://amzn.to/3ThcRipAndrew's Books: https://amzn.to/4nFLD34Andrew's The Aisle of Misfit Books on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@aisleofmisfitbooks?si=y1ub_7f1Ui7GAO8_

Wendy has published police procedurals and a rom-com, and is presently shopping another rom-com. Andrew has published an action-adventure and a fantasy, and is planning on publishing a noir thriller soon. But is this smart when it comes to building a readership, or a "personal brand"? What is a personal brand, and how do you go about building one in the era of social media? How do you use your personal brand when it comes to marketing your books?

It's a hard business, getting your books into the hands of the right readers! Join authors Wendy Coffman and Andrew Hallman as we discuss our experiences with ARCs, BookSirens, NetGalley, Voracious Readers, BookBub, Publisher Rocket, Amazon & Facebook ads, as well as Wendy's first steps on Instagram and Andrew's first steps with Weekend Publisher, a company that helps authors develop a marketing & advertising plan.

We discuss writers groups we’re involved with, and their usefulness when it comes to developing and critiquing novel-length works. Wendy shares a funny story about a crazy coincidence between her and a literary agent based in Philadelphia. Then we dig into Wendy’s experiences publishing with Amazon, KDP, IngramSpark, and BookBaby, as well as editorial services, formatting, and cover design, and we explore the perils and pitfalls of self-publishing vs traditional publishing.Wendy's books (Amazon page):https://amzn.to/4kyepk8Andrew's books (Amazon page):https://amzn.to/4n6aHzY

Andrew Hallman is the author of two novels: Amba, an action-adventure about the rewilding of Siberian tiger cubs in the Russian Far East, published by Rough Edges Press in 2022, and Mirrenwood, a fantasy about the hunt for a unicorn, published by Crossroad Press also in 2022. His books can be found here: https://amzn.to/3Hvs9NIWendy Coffman is the author of three mysteries featuring Detective Leanna Walker: The Sentinel's Calling (2022), A Mind Too Far Gone (2022), and Unleashing a Predator (2023), as well as the cozy mystery with a touch of romance, Chasing a Gem (2021). Her books can be found here: https://amzn.to/4dEW5D5