Episodios

  • EP 406 - How Authors Can Engage With Their Library
    Mar 14 2025
    In this solo episode Mark shares an excerpt from his forthcoming book A BOOK IN HAND: Strategies for Optimizing Print Book Sales via Signings and Other In Person Events. Prior to the main content, Mark shares a brief personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. Learn more about Toronto Indie Author Conference 2025 here. The content for this episode is an excerpt from the work in progress: A BOOK IN HAND. Links of Interest: Notification for when A BOOK IN HAND becomes availableBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds Mark's YouTube channelMark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die HardMerry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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    55 m
  • EP 405 - Ask Not What Your Bookstore Can Do For You
    Mar 7 2025
    In this solo episode Mark shares an excerpt from his forthcoming book A BOOK IN HAND: Strategies for Optimizing Print Book Sales via Signings and Other In Person Events. This episode is sponsored by Superstars Writing Seminars: Teaching you the business of being a writer which takes place in early Feb 2026 in Colorado Springs, CO. Use code: STARK100 to get $100 off your registration. Links of Interest: Buy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds Mark's YouTube channelMark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die HardMerry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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    36 m
  • EP 404 - Elbows Up, Canada!
    Mar 5 2025
    In this special additional solo episode, Mark reflects on the term "Elbows up!" and recent events in Canada/US relations and the tariffs being needlessly opposed based on completely fabricated issues. He also discusses the disease of division that is so prominent today, and shares a clip of Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau from a press conference held on March 4, 2025. Links of Interest: Buy Me a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds Mark's YouTube channelMark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die HardMerry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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    28 m
  • EP 403 - The Magic of Combining Poetry and Playwriting with Richard Marsh
    Feb 28 2025

    Mark interviews writer, actor and poet, Richard Marsh, the genius behind YIPPEE KI YAY the one-man poetry stage parody of Die Hard.

    Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a brief personal update, and a word from this episode's sponsor.

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    58 m
  • EP 402 - The Visible Author Method of Marketing with Laurie Cooper
    Feb 21 2025
    Mark interviews Laurie Cooper, an award-winning speaker, and an author coach and marketing expert, who helps fiction authors go from struggling, feeling invisible and not knowing what to do next, to finding and connecting with their ideal readers. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a word about this episode's sponsor. Learn more about Toronto Indie Author Conference 2025 here. In their conversation, Mark and Laurie talk about: The round-about way that Laurie got into the role of becoming a marketing coach for authorsStarting off as a virtual assistant, then moving on to more marketing-related and coaching for authorsIt being 11 years since Laurie started working with authorsSome of the ways the marketing landscape and promotion strategies have changed over the yearsLaurie's "The Visible Author Method" that authors can enroll in, but only after a discovery call with Laurie and an invitationThe idea that coaches need coaches and therapists need therapistsThe most important aspect of what writers want, which is ways to connect with their readers, and having their books readHow "Niching Down and Branding" is at the core of everything Laurie offers to authorsHow positioning, or establishing a positioning statement is one of the most taxing endeavors for an authorThe way that working with a coach can help an author with being able to see themselves and their writing in a new light/different way is importantThe tiny roadblocks that can stop us from moving forward, and the importance of getting over themThe concept of personalized repeatable systemsNavigating the road map of best practices, and the importance of trial and error and measurable metricsSome of the differences related to marketing for traditionally published authors versus self-published authorsAn example of working with a traditionally published author that took some extra effort but worked nicely in the endSome resources that Laurie recommendsThe three questions that you should always be answering for your readers 1) What can they expect 2) Why should they care? (What makes it special) 3) What they can/should do nextThe importance of the idea of "my brand equals my promise to my readers"And more... After the interview Mark reflects on how the the same process/procedure might work differently for different authors, as well as the importance of being able to pivot when unexpected elements clash with your plans and goals. Links of Interest: Laurie Cooper's Pub-Craft Laurie's Printer-Friendly Book Launch ChecklistLaurie's Pub-Craft ResourcesBook a free consult with Laurie Buy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds Mark's YouTube channelMark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die HardMerry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Award-winning speaker, Laurie Cooper, launched her online business, Pub-Craft: Marketing for Books and Brands, in October 2013. She helps fiction authors go from struggling, feeling invisible and not knowing what to do next, to finding and connecting with their ideal readers. In her first year of business, Laurie went from 1 to over 200 clients and helped 100+ authors hit the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Lists. While she works as a marketing coach with authors from around the world, Laurie calls Ottawa, Canada her home. Learn more about Laurie and her course,The Visible Author Method. Connect at www.Pub-Craft.com. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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    44 m
  • EP 401 - Reflections From the Road: Superstars Writing Seminars 2025
    Feb 14 2025
    Mark reflects on the power and importance of Superstars Writing Seminars and why it's one of the most important annual in person sessions he attends and participates in. He also reflects on the rule of "no politics/no religion" in writing groups focused on supporting one another and helping to learn and grow, a new way he now sees this, and his desire for continuing to create bridges rather than divides without compromosing his morality. Links of Interest: Superstars Writing SeminarsBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds Mark's YouTube channelMark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die HardMerry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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    32 m
  • EP 400 - Community Reflections
    Feb 7 2025

    In this special 400th Episode, Mark shares comments from the Stark Reflections Community.

    This episode's sponsor:

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    1 h y 10 m
  • EP 399 - Post Publishing Marketing with Deborah Kevin
    Jan 31 2025

    Mark interviews Deborah Kevin, the visionary founder and chief inspiration officer at Highlander Press, about her new book SHELF LIFE: A Field Guide to Long-Term Author Success.

    Prior to the interview, Mark reads comments from recent episodes, shares a personal update, and a word from this episode’s sponsor.

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    56 m