PODCAST · arts
The Wordslinger Podcast
by It's all about the story here.
From award-winning and bestselling author J. Kevin Tumlinson, this weekly podcast explores the stories that shape us into who we are, and shape the world into what it can become. There are interviews with authors and non-authors, deep dives into useful ideas, and solo-slinger episodes that are authentic and real, aimed at giving you the best, most honest advice about life as a writer, creator, and creative entrereneur. Every episode is a story. It's all about the story here.
Episodes
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Never Respond to a Bad Book Review
A WORDSLINGER PODCAST In this episode of the Wordslinger Podcast, I'm sharing some of my own experiences with bad book reviews, internet trolls, review bombing, and public criticism. Including a few stories that are so ridiculous you almost have to laugh. Visit the Knovelton Bookshop at...
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Writers are Reading the Wrong Books
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT WRITERS ARE READING THE WRONG BOOKS Want to become a better writer? You might need to change what you're reading. Most writers know they should read more books. But what should you actually be reading? Books in your genre? Classic literature? Books about writing? Or…
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How to Keep Writing When Anxiety Takes Over
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT How do you keep writing when anxiety takes over? What happens when you love writing, but stress, deadlines, competing priorities, and the pressure to succeed make it almost impossible to sit down and do the work? Even experienced, successful writers struggle with anxiety.…
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The Best Time to Market Your Book
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT When is the best time to start marketing your book? Before you finish writing it? Before you publish? Or should you wait until you actually have something to sell? Here's the answer most authors don't want to hear: The best time to start marketing your book is RIGHT NOW. In...
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Should You REALLY Become a Full-Time Writer?
A WORDSLINGER PODCAST Should you REALLY become a full-time writer? For many authors, quitting the day job to write books for a living is the ultimate dream. But what if becoming a full-time author isn't actually the best thing for your writing career? I've written more than 90 books, spent years...
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Writing with Fences
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT Think you don't have enough time to write? What if the very thing holding you back is actually making you a better, more productive writer? Building a writing career while juggling a full-time job, family responsibilities, and everyday life can feel impossible. But here's...
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This One Habit made me a Successful Writer
A WORDSLINGER PODCAST This One Habit Made Me a Successful Writer What's the secret to writing more books, building an audience, and making a living as an author? It's not talent, luck, or the latest writing software. It's consistency. After publishing more than 90 books and selling millions of...
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Should Authors Use Substack?
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT Should authors use Substack? I’ve been using Substack for several years now, and I’ve come to see it as something more useful than just another social media platform. For writers, it can be a blog, newsletter, community, podcast platform, and—most importantly—a way to build…
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You Should Use AI to Write Your Book (sort of)
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT Should writers use AI to write their books? My answer is yes—but probably not in the way you think. I don’t use AI to write the actual prose of my novels. That’s the part I love. But while working on a research-heavy historical novel, I’ve found some incredibly useful ways…
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My Biggest Failures as a Writer
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT Every successful writing career is built on mistakes. I’ve made plenty of them. In this Wordslinger 10-Shot, I share some of my biggest failures as a writer—from falling for a literary agent scam and spending thousands on things that didn’t move my career forward, to signing…
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How to Write Characters Who Aren’t Like You
A WORDSLINGER PODCAST How do you write a character who is smarter than you, comes from a different background, sees the world differently, or believes things you never would? In this episode of the Wordslinger Podcast, Don King joins me for another Kevin on Craft conversation about creating...
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Should Authors Use AI-Generated Book Covers?
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT Should authors use AI-generated book covers? AI can produce some astonishingly good artwork, but that doesn’t mean the decision is simple. In this Wordslinger 10-Shot, I break down what authors should consider before using AI for a book cover—from Amazon’s disclosure...
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How to Be an Anonymous Author and Still Sell Books
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT Can you build an author career without putting your face, real name, and personal life all over the internet? Absolutely—but anonymity takes more than choosing a pen name. In this Wordslinger 10-Shot, I break down practical ways authors can market their books while…
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When Should an Author Hire a Virtual Assistant?
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT What if the thing keeping you from writing more books isn’t the writing—it’s everything else that comes with being an author? In this Wordslinger 10-Shot, Kevin talks about working with a virtual assistant, or author assistant, to take some of the business of being a writer...
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The Weird Way I Start Writing a Novel
A WORDSLINGER PODCAST Most writers start with a character, a premise, a scene, or maybe an ending. I often start with the title. In this episode of the Wordslinger Podcast, I talk about the weird way I begin many of my novels, why a good title can sometimes unlock an entire story, and what…
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Why Do You Write? This Answer Changes Everything
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT Why do you write? It sounds like a simple question, but your answer may be the thing that keeps you going when the words aren’t coming, the sales aren’t happening, and nobody seems to notice the work you’re putting in. In this Wordslinger 10-Shot, I talk about an unexpected...
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This SECRET makes writers successful
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT What do successful writers have in common? They surround themselves with writing. In this Wordslinger 10-Shot, I talk about one of the most useful habits I’ve developed over the years: reading books by writers about the writing life, learning from other authors, attending...
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Hate Marketing? Here’s What I Do Instead.
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT Hate marketing your books? You’re probably thinking about marketing the wrong way. A lot of writers hear “book marketing” and immediately think about running ads, posting constantly on social media, chasing TikTok trends, finding reviewers, testing campaigns, and spending...
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How I Keep Multiple Writing Projects Moving at Once
A WORDSLINGER PODCAST How do you keep multiple writing projects moving without losing momentum—or your mind? In this episode, I’m breaking down the systems I use to manage several creative projects at once, including nonfiction, historical fiction, novels, short stories, YouTube, research, and...
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Way too busy for writing
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT Way too busy for writing? Travel, work, family, deadlines, vacations, and plain old life can wreck even the best writing routine. But staying productive doesn’t always mean forcing yourself to sit down for a full writing session every single day. In this Wordslinger 10-Shot…
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BETA READERS - Here's how you find them
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT How do you actually find beta readers for your book? In this Wordslinger 10-Shot, I break down the practical ways I’ve built a beta reader and street team over the years—from starting with friends and family, to recruiting readers who already send useful feedback, to finding...
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AI isn't going to replace you
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT AI isn’t going to replace you. At least, not if you’re doing the part of writing that actually matters. In this Wordslinger 10-Shot, Kevin Tumlinson talks about the fear that AI will replace writers, artists, and other creative professionals—and why he thinks that fear is...
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Theo of Golden Proves You Don’t Need Action to Create Drama
A WORDSLINGER STORY CUT Can a novel keep you turning pages without explosions, car chases, monsters, or constant high-stakes action? Theo of Golden by Allen Levi proves that it can. In this Wordslinger Story Cut, I take a storyteller’s look at one of my new favorite novels and examine why such a...
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Writers: You’re Running a Business Whether You Like It or Not
A WORDSLINGER PODCAST If you want people to read your books, buy your books, and help you build a sustainable writing career, then you’re already in business—whether you like that idea or not. In this episode of the Wordslinger Podcast, I talk about why writers need to start thinking like...
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You Don’t Need to Buy ISBNs
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT Do indie authors really need to buy their own ISBNs? For most self-published authors, the answer is probably no. In this episode, J. Kevin Tumlinson breaks down the real differences between purchasing your own ISBN and using a free ISBN from services such as Draft2Digital or...
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Amazon, Kobo, D2D: Here’s How I Distribute My Books
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT What’s the best way for an indie author to distribute their books? In this Wordslinger 10-Shot, I break down the book distribution strategy I actually use—including why I go direct to Amazon and Kobo, use Draft2Digital to reach Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, libraries, and...
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AI Isn’t Why Your Books Aren’t Selling
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT Is AI really the reason your books aren’t selling? Writers have plenty of legitimate reasons to be concerned about artificial intelligence, AI-generated books, changing algorithms, publishing platforms, and an increasingly crowded marketplace. But blaming AI for a struggling...
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Marvel Ruined What Made Endgame Matter (Avengers Endgame: Encore)
A WORDSLINGER STORY CUT Marvel spent more than a decade building toward Avengers: Endgame—and when it finally arrived, the movie gave its characters real consequences, real sacrifice, and real endings. So why does it feel like Marvel has spent the years since then undoing the very things that…
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The JAWS Trick That Makes Characters More Powerful
A WORDSLINGER PODCAST What can JAWS teach you about writing better characters? More than you might think. In this episode of the Wordslinger Podcast, Kevin Tumlinson sits down with Donn King for another Kevin on Craft conversation, this time exploring what makes fictional characters feel real—and...
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MONEY
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT Writers spend a surprising amount of money trying to build a writing career—but how much of that spending is actually helping the business? In this Wordslinger 10-Shot, Kevin shares the simple question he’s using to audit every expense in his own creative business: Does this...
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Nobody Tells Writers How to Do This
Take a look at the transcript for this Wordslinger episode. I need a YouTube video description that will attract and engage with writers, creatives, and creative entrepreneurs for episodes that are Wordslinger 10-Shots or Wordslinger Podcast. For Wordslinger Story Cuts, make the description…
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100 Years of Research, ONE Novel
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT How do you take more than 100 years of history, documents, photographs, handwritten notes, newspaper clippings, and real-life events—and turn all of it into ONE compelling novel? In this Wordslinger 10-Shot, Kevin shares the process he’s using to research a new historical...
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Star Trek Forgot the #1 Rule of Writing Characters
A WORDSLINGER STORY CUT What obligations does a writer have when stepping into an established universe—or writing characters an audience already knows and loves? In this Story Cut, I take a critical look at Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the broader modern Star Trek catalog through the lens of...
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The Business of Being a Bestselling Author — with J.D. Barker
A WORDSLINGER PODCAST What does it actually take to build a bestselling author career—and turn writing into a sustainable business? In this episode of the Wordslinger Podcast, I sit down with New York Times bestselling author J.D. Barker to talk about the business behind the books. J.D. has…
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The SECRET to Original Writing
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT What if the secret to original writing is to stop trying so hard to be original? Writers and creators often feel pressure to make everything completely unique—from book covers and story ideas to marketing and branding. But readers don’t necessarily want something they’ve…
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You Don’t Need Permission to Be a Writer
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT You don’t need an agent, a publisher, an editor, or anyone else to give you permission to be a writer. For years, I waited for someone else to tell me it was okay to take writing seriously. I chased opportunities, worked jobs, paid bills, and kept telling myself that someday...
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The Edit Stack - SPEND NOTHING
A WORDSLINGER 10-SHOT What if you could build a powerful editing process for your novel without spending thousands of dollars on professional editing? In this episode, I break down what I call my “Edit Stack”—the layered system I use to catch typos, grammar problems, continuity issues, awkward...
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This Is How You Reinvent Spider-Man
A WORDSLINGER STORY CUT Spider-Man has been rebooted, reimagined, recast, and retold more times than most superheroes could survive. So how do you make him feel new again without losing what made people love him in the first place? In this Wordslinger Story Cuts, I break down Spider-Man: Brand…
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Why Writers are Abandoning Traditional Publishing
A WORDSLINGER PODCAST Why are more writers reconsidering traditional publishing—and could we be entering a second indie publishing renaissance? In this episode of the Wordslinger Podcast, Kevin Tumlinson looks at the changing landscape of publishing, from unreliable AI detection and increasingly...
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Got a Bad Review? Do NOT Do This
A Wordslinger 10-Shot! Bad reviews are inevitable. The real question is what you do after you get one. In this Wordslinger 10-Shot, I’m talking about the mistake authors make when a negative review gets under their skin—and why responding, arguing, or trying to “correct the record” usually makes...
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I Tested “AI Slop.” The Results Surprised Me
People love throwing around the phrase “AI slop.” But does using AI actually hurt your content—or are creators reacting to something that audiences barely notice? I decided to stop guessing and test it. For several weeks, I ran YouTube A/B/C tests comparing AI-generated thumbnails against...
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I Can’t Afford to Self-Publish” — Wordslinger 10-Sh0t
“I can’t afford to self-publish.” I hear this from writers all the time—and I think it’s based on one of the biggest misconceptions about indie publishing. You can self-publish a book for $0. In this Wordslinger 10-Shot, I break down the real costs of independent publishing, including editing,...
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Your First Draft Is Supposed to Be Bad
Kevin on Kraft: EPISODE 1! **Kevin on Kraft** is an occasional conversation between writers Kevin Tumlinson and Donn King about the craft, process, and strange magic of writing. **Your first draft is supposed to be bad.** Seriously. One of the biggest mistakes writers make is expecting the first...
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I Sold 10 Million Books and All I Got was this AI Witch Hunt
I sold more than 10 million books over the course of my writing career—and somehow I’m still spending my time talking about AI witch hunts. In this episode of the Wordslinger Podcast, I dig into the growing problem of AI detection tools, false accusations, and platforms giving users new ways to...
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AI Witch Hunts and the New Writing Economy
AI detectors are accusing real writers of using artificial intelligence—and people are losing grades, contracts, opportunities, and reputations because of unreliable software. Meanwhile, writers are still wrestling with another difficult question: How do you actually build a sustainable writing...
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I Almost Quit Writing… Then I Built a System Around My Chaos
I came this close to walking away from writing forever. After a traditional publishing deal went sideways, I paid back the advance, lost the rights for a stretch, and seriously believed my career was over before it started. What saved me wasn’t “just write every day.” It was building a deliberate...
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Make Them Suffer (and other Writing Craft Tips)
What makes a story impossible to put down? It usually starts with one uncomfortable truth: You have to make your characters suffer. In this episode of the Wordslinger 10-Shot, I dig into several practical writing craft principles that can help you create stronger characters, sharper scenes, more...
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5 Scams Targeting Writers Right Now
Writers are dreamers — and unfortunately, scammers know it. In this episode of the Wordslinger Podcast, I’m breaking down 5 scams targeting writers right now, especially indie authors, self-published authors, and creative entrepreneurs trying to build a real career around their work. From fake...
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3 Things Writers Should Stop Worrying About
Writers waste a lot of energy worrying about the wrong things. In this episode of the Wordslinger 10-Shot, Kevin talks about finishing a story that started nearly 30 years ago, why your unfinished drafts may still have life in them, and why the “perfect” writing tool probably is not what’s…
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5 Publishing Trends Writers Should Watch
What publishing trends should writers be paying attention to right now? In this episode of the Wordslinger 10-Shot, Kevin looks at five trends shaping the current writing and publishing landscape—especially for indie authors, creative entrepreneurs, and anyone building a long-term writing career....
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
From award-winning and bestselling author J. Kevin Tumlinson, this weekly podcast explores the stories that shape us into who we are, and shape the world into what it can become. There are interviews with authors and non-authors, deep dives into useful ideas, and solo-slinger episodes that are authentic and real, aimed at giving you the best, most honest advice about life as a writer, creator, and creative entrereneur. Every episode is a story. It's all about the story here.
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It's all about the story here.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Wordslinger Podcast have?
The Wordslinger Podcast currently has 303 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Wordslinger Podcast about?
From award-winning and bestselling author J. Kevin Tumlinson, this weekly podcast explores the stories that shape us into who we are, and shape the world into what it can become. There are interviews with authors and non-authors, deep dives into useful ideas, and solo-slinger episodes that are...
How often does The Wordslinger Podcast release new episodes?
The Wordslinger Podcast publishes regularly with 303 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Wordslinger Podcast?
You can listen to The Wordslinger Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Wordslinger Podcast?
The Wordslinger Podcast is created and hosted by It's all about the story here..
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