[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hello Authors.
[00:00:01] Speaker B: I'm Joanne Morell, children's and young adult fiction writer and author of short nonfiction for authors.
[00:00:07] Speaker A: Thanks for joining me for the Hybrid.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Author podcast, sharing interviews from industry professionals to help you forge a career as a hybrid author, both independently and traditionally publishing your books. You can get the show notes for.
[00:00:20] Speaker A: Each episode and sign up for your.
[00:00:22] Speaker B: Free author Pass over at the hybrid Author website to discover your writing process, get tips on how to publish productively, and get comfortable promoting your books at www.hybridauthor.com au. Let's crack on with the episode.
[00:00:42] Speaker A: Hello Authors. I hope you're all keeping well in whatever part of the world you reside and listen to. The podcast in today's interview is a loner sold from me, chatting about lessons learned in hitting 100 episodes of the Hybrid Author podcast. This includes podcasting lessons learned, such as the origins of the podcast to now Processes podcast analytics, author tips, fears and.
[00:01:09] Speaker C: Faves from past guests, and what you.
[00:01:11] Speaker A: Can expect from the next 100 episodes. Yes, it's official. I am going nowhere.
So in my author Adventure this week, I am three perspectives of five chapters away from finishing the draft I've been working hard on on my women's fiction novel. This is the entire plot. Acts One, two, three, and four, character personalities, flaws have all been discovered. The story is down. It's been quite a process. This is the longest fiction I have ever written. It's also taken some unexpected twists and turns, and I've really connected with the.
[00:01:49] Speaker C: Characters, and I hope you will too, when it comes out into the world.
[00:01:53] Speaker A: And you can grab your copy direct from me. So, as promised, in episode 99 of the podcast, I said I would do a title reveal of the work. So here it is. My first in what I call professional women's fiction is called, well, first in series and first all up, I guess, is called the writer, the hairdresser, and the nurse. You'll be the first to know once I have a launch date, as I do plan on having an in person book launch, something I haven't ever done. But I want to celebrate this work.
[00:02:20] Speaker C: I want to honor it with those.
[00:02:21] Speaker A: I love and those who love to read. And I want to stand tall and be proud of this accomplishment. It's something I've shied away from in the past because of many things. Most likely, I didn't believe in myself or thought no one would come to a launch.
[00:02:35] Speaker C: But you know what?
[00:02:36] Speaker A: I've surpassed those author fears. They don't hold me back anymore.
[00:02:39] Speaker C: And this work deserves a party.
[00:02:43] Speaker A: My hard work deserves recognition. So stay tuned for that next week's episode 101, which feels really weird, saying, I will share what the book is about, the blurb, if you will. So we're almost into the second week.
[00:02:56] Speaker C: Of November, which is pretty scary, and most of you have probably well, I'm freaking out. All the Christmas lights are up, which was probably up a month ago, and I'm just noticing them now, but starting to think about the books that I'm.
[00:03:09] Speaker A: Going to buy for Christmas, buy my kids for Christmas, and this year I'm going to go all indie author.
[00:03:15] Speaker C: And I've already got a couple in.
[00:03:17] Speaker A: Mind of close friends who have published junior fiction books for my daughter.
[00:03:21] Speaker C: Yeah, and I just want to support.
[00:03:23] Speaker A: Local as always this year, and independent authors.
[00:03:27] Speaker C: That's how you can support authors, is.
[00:03:29] Speaker A: Obviously by buying their books, telling people.
[00:03:31] Speaker C: About them, and giving them as gifts.
[00:03:33] Speaker A: And it made me just think, what.
[00:03:35] Speaker C: Kind of promotions could you do coming.
[00:03:37] Speaker A: Up to Christmas with your books to help make them into amazing gifts? Could you do book bundles? Could you specially wrap them up and sign them? What can you do with your work.
[00:03:50] Speaker C: To make it into a delectable Xmas gift?
[00:03:53] Speaker A: Something quite special for people who love to give the gifts of reading over Christmas. So I urge you to get creative this Christmas.
[00:04:10] Speaker D: Thorn creative where beautiful websites for authors are brought to life. No matter what stage you're at with your writing, your stories deserve a dedicated space to shine. Whether you're just starting out or have a bookshelf full of bestsellers, your website is the hub of your author business, binding everything you and your books offer together. Thorn Creative can nurture all aspects of redesigning your old site or start afresh from the initial design. They can provide ongoing hosting and maintenance to marketing your books online, saving you time, money and stress trying to wrangle your site yourself. An author website built by Thorn Creative can easily direct readers to your favorite retailers, your publisher, or simply set you up to sell to them direct. The options are endless. Thorn Creative have worked with many authors across all genres and know what goes into good, functional, working author websites to sell books. Head on over to ThornCreative.com au slash websites for authors to read, author and publisher testimonials, and to see what they offer and some of the sites they've created.
[00:05:42] Speaker A: When I first started the hybrid Author podcast, I never imagined I'd be saying.
[00:05:46] Speaker C: I've put out 100 episodes.
[00:05:49] Speaker A: Now 100 might seem small to some, like more longer term podcasts, which I.
[00:05:54] Speaker C: Listen to, who are now hitting the sort of six to 800 episode mark.
[00:05:58] Speaker A: But to others and myself that know it is no mean feat to hit 100. Much like writing to curate a podcast construct episodes from concept to production on a weekly basis is really time consuming. It takes hard work, dedication, persistence, commitment, consistency, discipline. There are so many moving parts and I oversee them all. The hybrid Author podcast is predominantly a one woman show, meaning I am the host and creator. I decide who comes on, create topics, conduct interviews, edit, produce, and promote the podcast. Of course, there would be no podcast.
[00:06:35] Speaker C: Without the wonderful guests I've had on.
[00:06:37] Speaker A: The show who give me their time and are forever generous with their expertise and advice within the writing and publishing industries. I thank you. I also thank you, my lovely and cherished listeners. Without you, the labor of my work would go unheard and underappreciated and unsung. It means the absolute world to have so many of you listening, from When I first started the podcast in 2021.
[00:07:00] Speaker C: To how it's Grown now in 2023.
[00:07:03] Speaker A: So let's find out in podcast origins and analytics. So I started the podcast after listening to other podcasts such as Joanna Penns, the Creative PEn Podcast, and the Australian Writers Center.
[00:07:15] Speaker C: So you want to be a writer.
[00:07:16] Speaker A: Podcast both inspired me with my writing and podcasting, mainly Joanna's, to independently publish.
[00:07:23] Speaker C: My work and to start my own podcast.
[00:07:25] Speaker A: I saw my podcast as a way I could use it as a marketing tool for myself and my work, and I still do. It's a great way for me to share content, as well as making listeners and social media follows aware of me and my books, my services, or upcoming events. But it's also the podcast it gives.
[00:07:45] Speaker C: Back to the writing community.
[00:07:46] Speaker A: It showcases the hard work of others out there. It's authors supporting authors. It's spreading the joy and inspiration this industry brings. So I created the hybrid author as a way for my work to be all in the one place, a brand, if you will. And it was all about the publishing.
[00:08:03] Speaker C: Side of things at first, how I.
[00:08:05] Speaker A: Strive for a traditional publishing deal, but I also publish my work in the meantime. This is what I thought made me a hybrid. But it's also that I write across genres and different age groups, from children and young adults to adults in the.
[00:08:18] Speaker C: Women'S fiction and nonfiction worlds. It's been so interesting to reach out.
[00:08:22] Speaker A: To authors for a variety of topics, and then as we're chatting, discover they.
[00:08:27] Speaker C: Are hybrid authors too, which is really cool.
[00:08:29] Speaker A: In the dictionary, hybrid means bred as a hybrid from different species or varieties of mixed character composed of different elements. The term hybrid coined in many more directions.
[00:08:41] Speaker C: Since I've started the podcast after discussing.
[00:08:44] Speaker A: Hybrid writing styles with Pip Harry. This brought the thought of mixing writing styles together. It was another sort of form of hybridness, just effectively taking what is already there and out there and then combining it with all sorts of different elements to see what you get together. No one way of doing things, basically.
[00:09:01] Speaker C: I think I say on my website.
[00:09:03] Speaker A: Going hybrid is having it all. So, to date, the podcast has had.
[00:09:07] Speaker C: Over approximately 13,000 downloads since it started in May 2021.
[00:09:13] Speaker A: I released fortnightly episodes of the podcast for the first year and three months, which grew a steady listenership. And I did this to see if.
[00:09:20] Speaker C: I could keep up momentum and whether.
[00:09:22] Speaker A: I enjoyed it or not, because it's quite a commitment. And it turns out I absolutely love it.
[00:09:28] Speaker C: I love it.
[00:09:28] Speaker A: I love podcasting and I love all it brings. So I took the podcast to weekly.
[00:09:33] Speaker C: Episodes in July of 2022, which absolutely.
[00:09:36] Speaker A: Doubled the download listenership. Well, doubled the listenership and doubled the downloads.
[00:09:41] Speaker C: So if I had been weekly, probably for the first couple of years, then the downloads would have been probably double that, I would say, or more.
[00:09:50] Speaker A: So the Hybrid Author podcast has been globally listened to in over 38 countries and over 79 cities. The top six countries with the most listenership of the podcast being number one, Australia, Number two, America, Number three, New Zealand, number four, Singapore, number five, Spain, and number six, the United Kingdom. The top ten most popular episodes of the podcast to date have been.
[00:10:14] Speaker C: We'll start with the number ten and.
[00:10:17] Speaker A: Work our way to number one. Number ten was episode 25. Award winning young adult author Holden shepherd on social media for authors. Number nine was episode 55, Lessons learned.
[00:10:28] Speaker C: In 22 and what's to Be in 2023?
[00:10:31] Speaker A: With Me, Joanne Morell. Number eight was episode 56. Award winning children's and young adult author Diane Wolfer on writing across genre. Number seven was episode 65, tips to help you prepare your print book for production through Ingram Spark with Me, Joanne Morell. Number six was episode 50. Your author Business plan with Joanna Penn. Episode Number five was episode 74, writing Cozy Mysteries with award winning author and publisher at Gumnut Press, Polly Holmes. Number four was episode 67. Hardy Grant publisher Emily Hart on nonfiction and gaps in the market. Number three was episode 59, how the marketing power of a bestseller will take you from a best kept secret to a Goto expert with Steve Kidd. Number two was episode 66. You'll make a wonderful parent advice and encouragement for Rainbow families of all kinds with Jasper Peach.
[00:11:23] Speaker C: And the most listened to episode to.
[00:11:25] Speaker A: Date is episode 68. Everything you need to know about hybrid publishing with P. L. Stewart. Quite fitting if you ask me.
So some of the top tips I've taken from interviewing 90 guests is this is a viable business to earn a decent living. If you write a lot of books, believe in yourself and have a variety.
[00:11:46] Speaker C: Of aspects which make up the business.
[00:11:47] Speaker A: To earn extra money, such as speaking or freelance writing or editing or manuscript.
[00:11:53] Speaker C: Assessment or just different things that sort of add to the income of books as well as obviously churning out a few books a year.
[00:12:02] Speaker A: Don't wait and don't be scared. Just do put yourself out there. Keep putting yourself out there to grow and get better. Do you nobody else? Support your industry and support each other. Utilize tools and technology in the industry and services of trusted professionals. Pursue your passions, but be productive in what the world needs as well as servicing your wants. Be creative in writing, in publishing and in promoting your books and in business. And ultimately, have fun. Love what you do so podcast processes the way in which the podcast works.
[00:12:38] Speaker C: Hasn'T changed too much from when I.
[00:12:39] Speaker A: First started podcasting to now. I use the same program to edit the podcast. I use the same software to record and conduct interviews.
[00:12:47] Speaker C: I use the same microphone and headset.
[00:12:50] Speaker A: And the same hosting platform to store my audio files for distribution to be uploaded to all the podcast apps. I use the same promotional icon with audio snippet from the episode to circulate across social media.
[00:13:01] Speaker C: What has changed is the amount of questions.
[00:13:04] Speaker A: I used to provide a podcast guest up front. I used to send about ten questions.
[00:13:08] Speaker C: And now I send about four.
[00:13:11] Speaker A: I aim for around 20 to 30 minutes interviews instead of 40 to 60. And this all helps with the time.
[00:13:17] Speaker C: It takes to edit the podcast.
[00:13:19] Speaker A: It used to take me many, many hours to edit the podcast. I have definitely honed these skills and.
[00:13:24] Speaker C: Cut time down by spreading out the.
[00:13:25] Speaker A: Tasks required to put the podcast together throughout the week. So my release day is on a Friday.
[00:13:31] Speaker C: It's always been on a Friday.
[00:13:32] Speaker A: So on a Wednesday I edit the main interview. On a Thursday I record and edit my intro and outro pieces and author Adventure Spiel. I also might do the promo icon and then plan is to upload early Friday.
[00:13:45] Speaker C: I don't stick to a specific time on Friday and it's usually never that early, but it has always been a Friday. I've never missed a day and generally that has helped. That process has helped make putting the podcast together and editing appear less big, full chunks of time because sometimes I can be sitting, it feels like half a day doing all that sort of stuff.
[00:14:05] Speaker A: So all these little tweaks has helped.
[00:14:07] Speaker C: My process podcast process get faster and.
[00:14:09] Speaker A: More effective time wise, and probably listenership wise as well. So randomly catchphrases of the podcast have come about, and these were completely unplanned and those of which I'm sure you.
[00:14:20] Speaker C: Speak aloud alongside each week.
[00:14:22] Speaker A: So we have the intro. Hello authors. I hope you're all keeping well in whatever part of the world you reside and listen to the podcast in the Terms Author Adventure and also the ending. I wish you well in your author adventure this next week. That's it for me. Bye for now. Those stay the same, as well as.
[00:14:42] Speaker C: The intro and the outro, so I quite like that, actually. I know of other podcasts, and I.
[00:14:49] Speaker A: Say what they say aloud because it's.
[00:14:51] Speaker C: The same thing each week and you kind of get used to that, which is nice, kind of like the theme song to your favorite TV series or something.
[00:14:58] Speaker A: Podcast sponsors the Hybrid Author Podcast received its first ever sponsor of the podcast, Thorn Creative, coming on board in December 2022. So Thorn Creative, the web design company.
[00:15:09] Speaker C: Who put together the hybrid author website and Kirsty is amazing. She had done a few author websites through other friends.
[00:15:18] Speaker A: Monique Mulligan, Tina Rafa Mulligan I just loved their websites.
[00:15:21] Speaker C: I thought they were beautiful and they were really great. So I was put onto her through them and through the amazing job that she'd done of the website. I pitched her to become a sponsor because clearly she would add value to.
[00:15:37] Speaker A: You, the listenership authors, putting yourself out there now.
[00:15:40] Speaker C: A website is an author website. I have had a couple in this career lifetime and I've tinkered around with them myself. And honestly, I couldn't tell you how many hours I have spent with trying to get a website. And I was so happy just to be able to pay Kirstie and have.
[00:15:57] Speaker A: This such a professional, functioning site.
[00:16:00] Speaker C: I can sell direct through it, all of it, and she was so great with our guidance.
[00:16:05] Speaker A: So Thorn Creative, where beautiful books are brought to life through cleverly designed author.
[00:16:10] Speaker C: Websites to drive traffic and sales for your. I just, I wouldn't have looked and became so professional without Kirsty's help. So she is the ultimate podcast sponsor, and I am very, very grateful to.
[00:16:23] Speaker A: Have her on board. The second sponsor was Plotter Software, and.
[00:16:27] Speaker C: That was after guest Troy Lambert.
[00:16:29] Speaker A: Plotter's education lead came on the podcast in episode 57 to talk about using the tool.
[00:16:34] Speaker C: And ever since then I've had those.
[00:16:36] Speaker A: Guys on board and I use plottard.
[00:16:39] Speaker C: Well, this women's fiction book. I have used their template to plot out the entire book and it has just kept me on track.
[00:16:45] Speaker A: It has just took in the story.
[00:16:47] Speaker C: To new heights and it's been so easy and effective and it's been great. So I can't wait to use that.
[00:16:52] Speaker A: Tool more to help with the other.
[00:16:54] Speaker C: Works that I'm writing. And yeah, it's just helped me move quicker.
[00:17:00] Speaker A: For someone that probably wasn't a plotter before, this has absolutely helped. So those guys are fantastic over there.
[00:17:05] Speaker C: They are in the USA and the.
[00:17:06] Speaker A: Most recent one has been Nicole Webb Book publicity and Nicole helps authors find their audience through lateral thinking and creating an individual media strategy tailored to each author in their book to achieve the best results.
[00:17:19] Speaker C: Now, Nicole came through to me with.
[00:17:22] Speaker A: A couple of her clients that I.
[00:17:25] Speaker C: Have had on the show and her.
[00:17:26] Speaker A: Services are just fantastic.
[00:17:28] Speaker C: She is an author herself, she's been.
[00:17:30] Speaker A: A journalist, she's well connected within the industry.
[00:17:33] Speaker C: I've seen where she gets the media stuff for her authors and it's great and I just thought she would be a fantastic addition to the sponsorships. I don't ask people that I don't feel wouldn't suit the audience and that you wouldn't get value from because it's a writing and publishing and book marketing podcast. It is an industry podcast. I want you to find things.
[00:17:56] Speaker A: It's a resource at the end of the day to find services that are going to help you move forward in your author careers. Author Adventures. So there is another sponsor I'm hoping that will come on.
[00:18:05] Speaker C: I haven't reached out to them yet, but I'm hoping that they will say.
[00:18:08] Speaker A: Yes, they are hybrid publisher.
[00:18:11] Speaker C: So I think that would be quite fitting for the hybrid Author podcast to have the services of a trusted hybrid author publisher. And I would only ever promote services that I'm familiar with myself and that I value and deem as trustee.
[00:18:25] Speaker A: So what can you expect for the future of the hybrid Author podcast? Well, I'm not going anywhere. As I've said, I absolutely adore the podcast.
[00:18:33] Speaker C: I'm learning so much myself about this.
[00:18:36] Speaker A: Ever changing industry and I hope you are too.
[00:18:39] Speaker C: So you can expect some stellar guests.
[00:18:41] Speaker A: Useful topics to help you on your hybrid author adventures. If there are any topics you would like me to focus on more, please.
[00:18:47] Speaker C: Reach out via the comments on the website and let's chat.
[00:18:50] Speaker A: I'm happy to take that on board and source individuals and industry professionals to seek the information that you want on your behalf. Let's all support each other. Let's all learn together. Let's all move forward. So the podcast will be moving into YouTube by the end of this year, and I have plans next year, probably.
[00:19:11] Speaker C: To move into the book talk world.
[00:19:13] Speaker A: I'm also starting a Patreon, which will be used as a deeper educational tool to share more content to help you in sustaining your author career. This will be a paid service, and it's obviously supporting the podcast, but there is going to be a lot of.
[00:19:26] Speaker C: Content that I'm going to share on.
[00:19:27] Speaker A: There, which is going to be super personal.
[00:19:29] Speaker C: I feel like I am quite personal on the podcast, but this is really, really personal. And it will also act almost like a YouTube style type thing, with videos.
[00:19:38] Speaker A: And tips and tricks for direct book.
[00:19:40] Speaker C: Sales and marketing through libraries and much more.
[00:19:45] Speaker A: Things actually take you through my podcast processing.
[00:19:48] Speaker C: I'll show you absolutely everything all the way I do it, the programs I use, all the equipment, that sort of stuff, and how easy it is of your space. Like exactly that. So if you're interested, there'll be more to come on that.
[00:20:01] Speaker A: Please reach out and let me know your favorite hybrid author episode on how the podcast has helped you further in your author career. I do this for you.
[00:20:09] Speaker C: This is to give back to the.
[00:20:10] Speaker A: Community and help others along the way. I do also do this for me to further my education and inspire myself in this career because the conversations I have absolutely inspire me to keep going.
[00:20:21] Speaker C: In this author adventure.
[00:20:23] Speaker A: I'm making connections I otherwise wouldn't be able to, and I'm connecting you to those connections. The podcast is a great place to share thoughts and ideas and all our work within the world. What else?
[00:20:34] Speaker C: I will effectively be thinking about how.
[00:20:36] Speaker A: Else we can be hybrid in this career and mix up the ways things can be done, combining industry elements. And I'll further talk about what this.
[00:20:43] Speaker C: Means and what this will look like.
[00:20:44] Speaker A: In my end of year show, Lessons learned in 2023 and what's in store for 2024. So thank you for joining me for the 100th episode.
[00:20:53] Speaker C: Can't wait to say thanks for joining.
[00:20:55] Speaker A: Me for the 200th episode. That will be something, won't it?
So there you have it, folks, 100 episodes with me.
[00:21:10] Speaker C: And yeah, I hope you enjoyed this.
[00:21:14] Speaker A: Little rundown of how the podcast came.
[00:21:16] Speaker C: To be, processes, all that lessons learned, things like that.
[00:21:21] Speaker A: Next time on the Hybrid Author podcast, we have co author Lauren Hackney on writing through difficult times. I wish you well in your author adventure this next week. That's it from me.
[00:21:30] Speaker C: Bye for now. That's the end for now.
[00:21:32] Speaker B: Authors, I hope you are further forward in your author adventure after listening, and I hope you'll listen next time. Remember to head on over to the hybrid Author
[email protected]. Dot au to get your free author pass.
[00:21:46] Speaker C: It's bye for now.
