SPA 63: Compromise!

Today the dudes chat about "compromise," or how to spend less to get a "minimum viable product," or MVP. They talk a lot about cover design, and how to make a book cover that works well enough to at least get some attention.

SPA 62: Live from the NETWO Conference!

Today is a special day - the guys are live at the North East Texas Writer's Organization conference, doing a live podcast. That's right - they've got a table set up in the front of the meeting hall, and they discuss some of the reasons for podcasting as a marketing...

SPA 61: Short Stories and How to Use Them

The guys discuss the deceptively difficult genre for writers: the elusive short story. From Arthur C. Clarke to Philip K. Dick, and a few other notable short story penners in-between, they discuss how they're using them to build their platforms, how to approach them...

SPA 60: Genre Targeting for Authors

Today the goodly gents discuss genres with C.S. Lakin. She's a hugely successful author in different genres, both fiction and nonfiction, and she has some amazing insights into the all-too-important task of choosing a great genre for your books. She has two courses up...

SPA 59: How to Plan A Book Launch (Listener Voicemails)

The dudes answer a couple listener questions about launching two books at the same time, building a "funnel" and setting up book giveaways, and other on-topic (really!) stuff. Tune in to see how the guys respond to some great - and tough - questions! How to launch...

SPA 58: Relaxing with Indiana Jones

Subtitle: Being Awesome, Successes, and Celebration Rituals. Today the dudes talk about how they maintain positivity and celebrate their wins. There are plenty of ways to "celebrate" little victories (and big ones), and the guys chat about their weird and not-so-weird...

SPA 57: The Most Inspirational, Awesome Books of All Time

...Or at least according to the guys. In this episode, the dudes chat about the most inspiring presentations, talks, books, movies, podcasts, etc. they've ever encountered and had the pleasure to consume. Also Nick got a van. Mentions: Tony Robbins - Unlimited Power...

SPA 56: Trilogies, Theft & Plagiarism, and Ebook Images

Today the goodly gents discuss trilogy and serial promotion and marketing, reviews for trilogies, and what defines a "trilogy." Also, the boys discuss Kevin's recent experience with theft and plagiarism - he had his book stolen and reposted under a different Amazon...

SPA 55: Improvisation and Revising for Writers

Today the guys discuss the rules of improve, as they apply to writers. Comedy improvisation rules are things like, "never say 'no,'" "yes/and," etc. But while these "rules" are helpful and can lead to really funny improvised comedy, it can also be a detriment to your...

SPA 54: Writing Christian Fiction with Rachel Starr Thomson

Rachel Starr Thomson doesn't just have a cool name. She's a veritable writing rockstar (a "wrockstar"). She's been on the show before, but we caught up with her today to discuss a HUGE topic we've been pondering for quite some time: writing Christian fiction....

SPA 53 – 2016 Goals and Dreams, and Looking Back at 2015

We had some podcast issues last month, so some of the later episodes appeared out of order. Not to worry though, this is the long-awaited, critically-acclaimed, and highly anticipated "goals and dreams" episode we publish every year. It's a look back at 2015, a look...

SPA 51 – Better Book Descriptions with Bryan Cohen

Happy New Year! Today on the show, the guys invite special guest and friend Bryan Cohen, who wants to teach authors how to write book descriptions that don't suck. Not much else to say about this episode, except... ...LISTEN TO IT!

SPA 50: Overcommitting – How to Determine What is Worth Your Time

Happy Christmastime Veteran's Day podcast! (It's Veteran's Day-ish when this was recorded, but Christmas-ish when it's going live) We answer a voicemail about building a website, then jump into the topic: "overcommitting." Basically, "overcommitting" is committing to...

SPA 49: 12 Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing

Today, Kevin, Nick, and Justin chat with VERY prolific writer-friend Rachel Starr Thomson, who writes on a Neo. She's the co-author of Five Editors Tackle the 12 Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing, a book that tackles writing fiction from the perspective of editors....

SPA 48: How to Write in A “Cinematic” Way

Writing is hard. Writing well is near impossible for most of us. Today on the show, Nick Thacker, Kevin Tumlinson, and Justin Sloan discuss what it's like, in their own experience, to write in a "cinematic" way. Tips, tricks, and answer galore in this show! Don't miss...

SPA 44: Talking Book Marketing and Advertising with Mark Dawson

Only have one book? Mark's advice: write the second book. No matter what. Want more advice? Read on, and listen in to this week's show: We chat with Mark Dawson, of Self Publishing Formula course fame (and a damn fine author, to boot!), about Facebook (and other)...