In episode #94 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with author Fred Waitzkin.

Fred was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1943. When he was a teenager he wavered between wanting to spend his life as a fisherman, Afro Cuban drummer, or novelist. He went to Kenyon College and did graduate study at New York University.

His work has appeared in Esquire, New York magazine, the New York Times Sunday Magazine, the New York Times Book Review, Outside, Sports Illustrated, Forbes, the Huffington Post, and the Daily Beast, among other publications. His memoir, Searching for Bobby Fischer, was made into a major motion picture released in 1993. His other books are Mortal Games, The Last Marlin, The Dream Merchant, and Deep Water Blues. Recently, he has completed an original screenplay, The Rave.

Waitzkin lives in Manhattan with his wife, Bonnie, and has two children, Josh and Katya, and two grandsons, Jack and Charlie. He spends as much time as possible on the bridge of his old boat, The Ebb Tide, trolling baits off distant islands with his family.

During our discussion, Fred describes:

• Where he finds the ideas for his stories
• How he views the unique relationship between fiction and non-fiction
• What his daily writing process looks like
• How having his memoir adapted into a hit Hollywood film impacted his life and his writing
• His approach to mentoring writers
• How a coaching experience led to a breakthrough in the writing of his latest book, Deep Water Blues
• And much more!

For full show notes visit http://www.kevintjohns.com

In episode #93 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with graphic recorder, Kit Irwin.

Kit creates visual representations of live events in real time to make meetings more effective, presentations more memorable, and participants more engaged. Her short stories have been published online, in literary magazines, and in anthologies, such as Flash Fiction Forward. She also creates visual bios for solo entrepreneurs to tell their story on their website’s About Us page.

Link to my website http://TheVisionScribe.com

During our discussion, Kit describes:

• What the work of a graphic recorder entails
• The role metaphor plays in the creation of her sketchnotes
• How a Master’s degree in Critical and Creative Thinking have benefited her career
• Why her desire to make e-learning less boring led to her work as a graphic recorder
• Her number one tip on  making the leap into a career in creative work
• The non-linear nature of graphic communication
• And much more!

For full how notes visit: http://www.kevintjohns.com

Welcome to The Writing Coach. On this podcast, I speak with the instructors, editors, coaches, and mentors who help writers and authors create their art, build their audience, and sell their work.

In episode #92 of The Writing Coach podcast, I discuss why sometimes the most creative periods in our lives look and sound like silence to outside observers.

In episode #91 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with Jennifer Louden.

Jennifer Louden is a personal growth pioneer who helped launch the concept of self-care with her first best-selling book The Woman’s Comfort Book. Since then, she’s written six additional books on well-being and whole living, with a million copies of her books in print in nine languages.

Jennifer has spoken around the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and has written a national magazine column for Martha Stewart magazine. Plus, she’s been profiled or quoted in dozens of major magazines, two of Brené Brown’s books Daring Greatly and Dare to Lead, appeared on hundreds of TV, radio shows and podcasts, and even on Oprah.

Jennifer has been teaching women’s writing and self-care retreats and creative writing workshops since 1992 and creating vibrant online communities and innovative learning experiences since 2000.

During our conversation, Jennifer describes:

• How a time of great desperation, unhappiness, and depression ultimately launched her career as a successful author
• The danger of wrapping up your entire self-worth in your writing
• The importance of self-care and why she rejects the notion that artists must be tortured souls
• What aspects of writing she struggles with and how she overcomes challenges in her writing
• Three things you need to know before you start writing
• What differentiates successful writers from those who fizzle out
• Why she thinks being a writer is the coolest calling in the world
• And much more!

Welcome to The Writing Coach. On this podcast, I speak with the instructors, editors, coaches, and mentors who help writers and authors create their art, build their audience, and sell their work.

In episode #90 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with Chad Allen.

Chad Allen is a writer, speaker, editor, and writing coach. A 20-year publishing professional, he has worked with many bestselling authors and is creator of Book Proposal Academy, an online course, and BookCamp, a mentoring and community hub for writers. His passion is helping writers get their books into the world, and he blogs athttp://www.chadrallen.com/.

During our conversation, Chad describes:

• How his passion for the writing of C.S. Lewis led to a career in publishing
• Why he feels called to help writers
• How his blog served as the launching pad for his coaching business
• The origins of his Book Proposal Academy
• Why coaching feels like it is the thing he was born to do
• And much more!

In episode #88 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with Barbara Kyle.

Barbara is the author of the acclaimed Thornleigh Saga, a seven-book series of historical novels set in Tudor England (“Riveting Tudor drama” – USA Today) and of contemporary thrillers, three under pen-name Stephen Kyle, including Beyond Recall, a Literary Guild Selection. Her latest novel is The Traitor’s Daughter. Over half a million copies of her books have been sold in seven countries.

Barbara has taught writers at the University of Toronto and is a popular guest presenter at international writers’ conferences. Before becoming an author Barbara enjoyed a 20-year acting career in television, film, and stage productions in Canada and the U.S.

Through her master classes, online programs, and manuscript evaluations, Barbara’s mentoring has launched many writers to published success, including bestselling mystery author Robert Rotenberg, award-winning historical novelists Cryssa Bazos and Bruce Gardner, debut novelist Christine Higdon, urban fantasy writer T.K. Thorne, and Steven T. Wax for his award-winning memoir. 

During our conversation, Barbara describes:

• Why her career as an actress on stage, television, and film was fantastic training for her career as a novelist
• The importance of knowing your protagonist’s objective
• How winning a short story competition from the local library association gave her the confidence to pursue novel writing
• Why she chose to set her series in Tudor era England
• The important role mentors have played in her life and what she learned from them
• To what she attributes her half a millions books sold
• And much more!

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In episode #87 of The Writing Coach Podcast, host Kevin T. Johns revisits the Christmas episode of his old podcast, Write Along Radio.

For full show notes for this episode, visit http://www.kevintjohns.com

In episode #86 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with Sally McGraw

Sally McGraw is a savvy and versatile ghostwriter, editor, and copywriter with more than 15 years of professional experience. She’s written for newspapers, blogs, magazines, newsletters, and websites, slowly building a resume that she hopes will impress the pants off of you. She’s written three non-fiction books under her own name, and ghostwritten a dozen more. Her articles have been featured on the Huffington Post and About.com, her blog has been highlighted by Marie Claire and Glamour, she’s a contributing editor at Adios Barbie, and her marketing and entrepreneurial advice has appeared on the GoDaddy blog. She firmly believes she has the best job in the known universe, and loves helping her clients craft expressive artist statements, laugh-out-loud posts, in-depth articles, and heart-rending books.

During our conversation, Sally describes:

• How she built a massively successful blog about fashion and body image
• Why she transitioned from the fashion world into ghostwriting and editing
• Her candid thoughts on people wearing cargo shorts to the Opera
• Why she finds ghostwriting memoirs particularly challenging
• The reason a client once described her as “a personal decoder ring”
• Why she is passionate about empowering women in business
• Her experience teaching a CreativeLive course that was viewed by over 7,000 writers
• And much more!

Click below to listen now!

Welcome to The Writing Coach. On this podcast, I speak with the instructors, editors, coaches, and mentors who help writers and authors create their art, build their audience, and sell their work.

In episode #84 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with Elizabeth Atkins and Catherine M. Greenspan.

Elizabeth is a best-selling author, actress, TV host and award-winning journalist who uses a multimedia platform to inspire people to unlock their infinite potential and live with passion, prosperity, health, and happiness. Elizabeth has written more than 20 books.

Catherine created the first-ever series of young adult novels featuring a biracial girl. The Veronica Series follows the 14-year-old girl along a tricky terrain of friends, boys, school, and family in a race-obsessed world.

Together, Catherine and Elizabeth are the siblings behind Two Sisters Writing and Publishing, where they publish meaningful books by authors of color, women writers, and those who celebrate diversity through their stories and characters.

During our discussion, Catherine and Elizabeth describe:

• How their father's journaling habit influenced their lives and approach to writing
• Why they becAme writing coaches, ghostwriters, and eventually publishers
• How their Power Journaling program combines journaling with meditation to help by-pass writers' inner critics
• Why it's important now more than ever to promote diverse voices IN the book world and how independent publishers can step up to plate
• How Elizabeth came to co-write a book with Billy Dee Williams of Star Wars fame
• And much more!

Click below to listen now!

Welcome to The Writing Coach. On this podcast, I speak with the instructors, editors, coaches, and mentors who help writers and authors create their art, build their audience, and sell their work.

In episode #83 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with Blaine Bradshaw.

Blaine is a freelance editor with 10 years experience that started in the Army. While initially his scope was limited to geographic reports and briefings he expanded to novels and opened Superior Story in 2014. Over the years he has worked with dozens of writers to develop compelling stories while maintaining their unique voice.

During our discussion, Michelle describes:

• Why a single typo led to him having to do 1000 pushup
• How he stumbled upon a vibrant writing community on the Deviant Art platform
• Why his experience with a factory-style editing service ultimately led to his personalized approach to working with writers
• The complexity involved in defining different types of editing
• The role empathy plays in the editing process
• And much more!

Click below to listen now!

Welcome to The Writing Coach. On this podcast, I speak with the instructors, editors, coaches, and mentors who help writers and authors create their art, build their audience, and sell their work.

In episode #82 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with Michelle Cornish.

Michelle is a mom, author, illustrator, and former accountant on a mission to prove accountants are just as exciting as lawyers. After spending almost 20 years in the public accounting industry, Michelle sold her accounting practice to spend more time with her family and pursue her dream of writing. In 2017, she published Keep More Money, a guide to help business owners find a trustworthy accountant. Her debut financial crime thriller Murder Audit will be released on October 31, 2018, and is available for pre-order now. 

During our discussion, Michelle describes:

• What she learned from publishing a non-fiction book that she then applied to her new novel, Murder Audit
• How her frustration with the stereotypical portrayal of accountants led to the creation of her novel’s protagonist Cynthia Webber
• Why she thinks publishing a novel is so much scarier than publishing a non-fiction book
•  How she found writing a novel to be similar to solving mathematical puzzles
• Why she is so passionate about seeking out learning opportunities
• And much more!

Click below to listen now!

Welcome to The Writing Coach. On this podcast, I speak with the instructors, editors, coaches, and mentors who help writers and authors create their art, build their audience, and sell their work.

In episode #81 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with artist success coach Nikól Peterman of Zen Red NYC.

Nikól is a certified empowerment coach who works with leading creatives who struggle to attract their perfect audience, feel amazing in their performance, and see themselves as valuable. She empowers professional artists, speakers, entrepreneurs, and presenters to be fearless, embodying a powerful presence that allows them to connect deeply with their audience, and stand out from the crowd. She specializes in skills for overcoming fear, overwhelm, and the constant roller coaster of ups and downs that come with putting your work out to the world.

During our discussion, Nikól describes:

• How letting go of perfectionism and sharing vulnerability actually draws people towards us
• The role creative writing played in her transition from performer and choreographer to empowerment coach for artists
• The importance of looking at our art through the lens of a professional
• How she encourages her creative clients to ask themselves what they are holding back
• What she means when she says marketing is all about belonging
• Why right now is an amazing time to be an artist
• And much more!

For full show notes visit: http://www.kevintjohns.com

Welcome to The Writing Coach. On this podcast, I speak with the instructors, editors, coaches, and mentors who help writers and authors create their art,

build their audience, and sell their work.

In episode #80 of The Writing Coach podcast, I answer some important questions about author platform building and book marketing.

This week one of my former clients posted a number of fantastic marketing related questions in a private Facebook group that I run. I decided to answer the questions via the podcast.

During the episode I cover:

• Why your author platform doesn't necessarily have to be blog-based
• The best methods for platform building
• How I have gone about building my email list
• My thoughts on how writers should approach blogging
• Who I turn to when seeking advice and tips on book marketing
• And much more!

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In episode #79 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with publicity coach and founder of the Build Your Brand Academy Chris Well.

Chris is a media veteran who has worked more than 30 years in professional media. He’s been a magazine editor, columnist, journalist, broadcaster, and college instructor, with field experience covering music, publishing, human interest, and more. Also a published novelist, Chris has written suspense and mysteries for traditional publishers and as a self-published author. He and his wife live in Tennessee.

During our discussion, Chris describes:

• Why he feels compelled to help authors understand and navigate the media outreach process
• What he has learned working on both sides of the fence as both a media professional and an author
• How, after landing a traditional publishing contract, he was forced to lower his expectations regarding what a publisher has to offer when it comes to publicity and marketing
• The major differences between old media (magazines, newspapers, TV, and radio) and new digital media platforms (online videos, podcasts, and blogs)
• His surprising advice about "leading with the book"
• How book marketing is similar to farming
• And much more!

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In episode #78 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with Lauren Sapala.

Lauren is the author of The INFJ Writer, a guide for sensitive intuitive writers, and Firefly Magic: Heart Powered Marketing for Highly Sensitive Writers, as well as The West Coast Trilogy, an autobiographical fiction series. She currently lives in San Francisco.

During our discussion, Lauren describes:

• Why she considers her coaching a form of healing work
• How the structure and energy of academia can often lead to overly critical writing instructors and teachers, and how the world of creativity and art differs completely
• Why she doesn't shy away from discussing her time dealing with alcoholism
• How self-publishing The INFJ Writer was such a pleasurable experience that she ceased seeking an agent for her fiction and started-indie publishing those books as well
• The way the Meyers-Briggs personality types have given her a greater understanding of her writing clients and how she can better help intuitive introverts achieve their artistic goals
• How transgressive fiction combines darkness with humour, and the challenges she has faced as a writer working in that genre
• And much more!

Click below to listen now:

Think there aren't any good movies about writing?

Think again, my friend!

In episode #76 of The Writing Coach podcast, guest host, Laura Morano, and I debunk the myth that there are no good movies about writing.

We discuss more than a dozen fantastic films featuring writer protagonists dealing with the highs and lows of putting words to the page and trying to create something beautiful in the world.

Click below to listen now!

Welcome to The Writing Coach. On this podcast, I speak with the instructors, editors, coaches, and mentors who help writers and authors create their art, build their audience, and sell their work.

In episode #75 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with Elisa Doucette of Craft Your Content.

Elisa is a writer, editor, and entrepreneur who currently travels the world looking for great stories to live, interesting tales to share, and new ways to make words sexy.

She has worked for over a decade creating compelling content and writing for various businesses and publications. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Yahoo! Small Business, The Shine Network, The Huffington Post, and Brazen Careerist among others, including syndicated columns on Forbes.com and Maine Today Media. Her short stories have been published in numerous literary magazines and websites, and she has appeared as a guest on radio shows and podcasts around the web, such as Frommer’s Radio, Entrepreneurs on Fire, and The Chris Hahn Show. She also hosts a podcast for writers and creatives, called Writers' Rough Drafts.

As the owner and executive editor of the editing and writing coaching agency, Craft Your Content, Elisa oversees the acquisition and cultivation of a talented team of word and content geniuses while also encouraging the development of clients’ writing and thought prowess. CYC serves as a champion for each writers’ unique voice and vision, while helping them to publish their best content.

During our discussion, Elisa describes:

• Why, despite living abroad and running a digital company, she doesn't consider herself a lifestyle entrepreneur
• How challenges making friends in her youth led to a passion for literature and writing
• The unique relationship between music technique and writing
• How she met Stephen King in person (!)
• Why she invested hundreds of hours in her online course, Become a Master Writer, and how you can benefit from enrolling regardless of what type of writing you do
• And much more!

Click below to listen now:

For full show notes visit http://www.kevintjohns.com

Episode #72 of The Writing Coach podcast features our first ever guest host, Lori Puma.

Lori Puma is a Story Grid Certified editor who helps writers turn first drafts into stories readers can’t put down. Lori started her writing career publishing scientific papers that also double as sleeping aids. Since then, she’s done a lot of things, including working as a marketer and having her work published in places such as the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Mashable. Lori’s focus as an editor is helping writers build the storytelling skills they need for a career writing fiction.

Lori scored the role of guest host by making the rather unusual pitch of offering to interview me on my own show. It was a great opportunity to talk about my coaching process with The Writing Coach listeners.

During our discussion, I describe:

• What I consider to be the fundamental elements of writer's craft
• The importance of starting your story planning with genre
• My real thoughts on pantsing vs. planning
• The three biggest challenges writers face while crafting a novel
• Why a coach's role is to open up new doorways of possibility to our clients
• What I recommend writers do when their plans go off-track
• And much more!

Listen to the episode now:

In episode #69 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with Angela Ackerman.

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, as well as five others. Her books are available in six languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. Angela is also the co-founder of the popular site Writers Helping Writers, as well as One Stop for Writers, an innovative online library built to help writers elevate their storytelling.

During our discussion, Angela describes:

• Which literary serial killer she wanted to name her dog after
• The valuable lessons she learned from joining an online critique group early in her career
• Why her book, The Emotional Thesaurus, has been so popular with writers
• What she learned from collaborating with writing coaches like James Scott Bell, Jennie Nash, and Lisa Cron
• How she ended up developing online resources for writer with Lee Powell, the creator of Scrivener
• Her passion for helping writers learn and grow,
• And much more!

Listen to the episode now!

In episode #68 of The Writing Coach podcast, I discuss how to spot a publishing scam.

It takes passion, dedications, and a massive amount of hard work to produce a 70,000 manuscript. It takes even more effort and focus to proceed to revise those 70K words several times over. Usually, aspiring authors are feeling pretty desperate by the time they reach the publication stage of the book production process. That desperation, combined with a lack of knowledge regarding the publishing industry, is frequently taken advantage of by scammers, frauds, hucksters, and criminals in the world of publishing.

In this episode, we're going to go over the steps you can take to investigate an offer before you hand over any money or personal information to a service provider, agent, or publisher.

Listen to the episode now!

In episode #67 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with Brooke Warner.

Brooke Warner is publisher of She Writes Press, founder of Warner Coaching Inc., and author of What’s Your Book? and How to Sell Your Memoir. Brooke’s expertise is in traditional and new publishing, and she is an equal advocate for publishing with a traditional house and self-publishing. She sits on the board of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and the National Association of Memoir Writers (NAMW). Her website was selected by The Write Life as one of the Top 100 Best Websites for Writers in 2014.

During our conversation, Brooke describes:

• How a talk with her mom about what she loves led to a career in publishing
• The exact moment she realized her experience in editing and publishing could be used for an author coaching business
• The massive learning curve for memoir writers and the “kiss of death” they need to avoid in their writing
• The role perseverance (and the help of a coach) played in landing her TedX talk, “Green-Light Revolution”
• Why she founded She Writes Press and what it means to be a hybrid publisher
• How the current American political environment means having a platform for women writers is more important than ever
• And much more!

Listen to the episode now!

In episode #66 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with Lisa Bloom.

Lisa Bloom is a highly professional and accomplished Storyteller, Professional Certified Coach (ICF) and Training & Development Expert with more than 20 years experience working in public and private sectors, high-tech and financial services environments. Lisa trains Story Coaches and helps entrepreneurs de-stress the marketing, build their business with confidence and inspiration by finding their success story.

During our conversation, Lisa describes:

• How a story can be used to build trust and create credibility
• Her deep belief that we are all innate storytellers
• Why she spent time working as a "galley slave"
• The massive benefits she experienced from writing a weekly story on her blog for ten years straight
• How finding congruity between your outer story and inner story leads to powerful authenticity

Listen to the episode now:

Welcome to The Writing Coach. On this podcast, I speak with the instructors, editors, coaches, and mentors who help writers and authors create their art, build their audience, and sell their work.

A client of mine recently asked me what novels I would recommend for the purpose demonstrating different aspects of writer's craft.

This episode answers that question!

Listen now!

For a video version of this episode, visit http://www.kevintjohns.com/writingcoach43

In episode 34 of The Writing Coach, I speak with Susan Friedmann.

Susan is a Certified Speaking Professional and a veteran business and niche marketing expert who has carved her niche by helping companies worldwide get the most out of attending trade shows and industry events. She offers programs to increase results and focus on building better relationships with customers, prospects and advocates in the marketplace.

A prolific author, Susan has written fourteen books including, Meeting and Event Planning for Dummies, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Target Marketing, Riches in Niches: How to Make it BIG in a small Market, which made it to #1 in hot business books on Amazon.com.

During our conversation, Susan describes:

• How the publishing industry has changed over the last three decades;
• Her nuts and bolts approach to writing and teaching;
• The value and benefits of self-publishing for authors;
• How the September 11 terrorist in New York attacks nearly prevented one of her books from being published;
• The way the National Speakers Association has connected her with many important mentors;
• What she has learned from a year of podcasting;
• The importance of niche marketing for authors;
• And much more!

Visit http://www.kevintjohns.com/writingcoach16

In episode 15 of The Writing Coach, I speak with professional organizer and Apple expert Deron Bos.

As the rare man who has passion for both label makers and iPads, Deron is a personal professional organizer and Apple tutor.  I am an active member of both the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). He has also worked as a stage actor and a college English teacher, and he has a Master's degree in play-writing. As a productivity junkie, Deron believes organizing spaces and learning Apple products can be a life-changing transformation.

During the interview, Deron describes:

• The importance of distraction free writing
• How clutter can distract us from our goals
• How organizing digital and physical spaces is actually very similar
• The connection between stage acting and the entrepreneurial realm
• Plain text tools writers can take advantage of
• and much more!

In episode 13 of The Writing Coach, I speak with best selling author, speaker and entrepreneur, Chandler Bolt. This is part 2 of an interview that began on the Write Along Radio podcast.

Chandler was bit by the entrepreneurial bug at an early age when he saw that he could make a lot more money working for himself. While his friends were off searching for jobs, he was out starting businesses. After struggling with writing for most of his life, he manages to turn his first book, The Productive Person, into a best seller. He donated all proceeds from his follow-up book, Breaking Out of a Broken System, to charity. His third book, Book Launch, outlines the system he uses to produces best sellers. He now teaches that systems to other authors via his online training and coaching program, Self Publishing School. 

During the interview, Chandler describes:

• Why he decided to share his knowledge with other authors and launch Self Publishing School
• The mentor role his parents and brother have played in his life
• The important role that accountability partners and communities plays in a writer's success
• Why putting too much expectations on a book launch takes all the fun out of it
• and much more!

For full show notes to this episode visit http://www.kevintjohns.com/writingcoach13

In this episode, I speak with author and blogger Jeff Goins. For full show notes visit www.kevintjohns.com

In episode 11 of The Writing Coach, I speak with author and writing coach Doug Kurtz.