Guest Podcast Appearances

The Clean Library Podcast: The importance of clean content

August 20, 2024

Episode Landmarks:

My author career

2:38 – My author “origin story” (it involves homeschooling)

6:33 – Marketing and distribution plans for The Pyromancer’s Scroll

8:38 – How do authors build a readership?

10:48 – Obstacles to my writing process (spoiler: lack of time is the main one)

Writing clean content

12:03 – How constraints help foster creativity

14:19 – How do I write realistic action scenes in a non-graphic way?

16:19 – Influence of my ancient Near Eastern studies background on my worldbuilding

19:40 – Have I ever had beta readers give feedback that they want it more graphic? (No, actually once the opposite)

21:31 – When is it appropriate to use invented substitutions for curse words?

Publishing paths

24:51 – What I’ve learned about the publishing industry through my role with LDSPMA

29:47 – Why did I make the decision to self-publish?

The need for clean content

34:30 – My argument that clean content is not simply a matter of preference—it’s a moral imperative.

37:18 – My analogy that a media diet full of the vulgar, crude, or profane is as harmful to individuals and society as a nutritional diet full of sugar, fat, and salt.

41:22 – Why does raunchy content sell? Because it’s hormonally addicting.

44:15 – The need to more clearly label and promote clean content

Thought Leadership Leverage: The importance of authors supporting authors

March 2023

Show summary by the host, Peter Winick:

Unless you are writing a book with a co-author or ghostwriter, it probably feels like a very lonely task. But what if you could find a fellowship that provided encouragement and advice?

Our guest today is Jeremy Madsen, Operations Manager for BK Authors an author group affiliated with the award–winning publisher Berrett-Koehler. This group helps authors and publishers bridge the gap to bring better books to market.

Jeremy starts by helping us understand what an author’s group is all about. He explains that these communities, especially when supported by a publisher, can give authors a better awareness of the market and industry. In addition, mentoring is a sharing process that works best when all sides open up. Authors further down the path share advice from experience, while newer authors share information about new skills and tools that didn’t exist five years ago.

Finally, we discuss the timeline of publishers versus authors. Publishers have limited resources, and need to move on to the next project as soon as possible, meaning they are by your side for mere months. The author’s timeline should be further-reaching, amortizing the investment over 5–7 years. Plus Jeremy shares the growing trend of publishers investing into a backlist of older titles, giving nonfiction books an even greater chance to see success over a longer course of years.

Jeremy is deeply involved in both the writing and publishing community and brings unique insights in this episode that few others can provide.

Three Key Takeaways:

• Being part of an author community can be a big morale booster to not be alone on the journey.
• Don’t be afraid to reach out to established authors who have published books in your area of expertise. You’d be surprised how generous many will be with their time and advice.
• A publication date has no bearing on the importance or usefulness of a book. It is a date of reference, not an expiration.