The Wordslinger Podcast

This didn’t start out as an “AI” episode, but it kind of veered that way. Here I’m talking about ways I use AI to help (not DO) my writing, and ways I think it can be beneficial to other writers and creatives. I also talk about what I call the “Artisan Age,” and the emphasis of quality over quantity. Perspective and experience are the new commodities. Show links: * The “Typewriter Rebellion” - * N...

It’s a Solo Slinger episode, and this week I’m talking about refiling your bucket, sharpening your axe and/or saw, and basically just improving your mental health and your creative work by finding hobbies and other experiences. We’e in the business of observing, contemplating, and expressing, so we could use some interesting things to observe. Also in this episode I talk about metal detectors and...

JD Barker returns and this time he’s talking money. And since we all like money, I think we’re going to be in good shape. This episode we explore the side hustle, revenue diversity, eggs in baskets, the whole game. Here’s a way to keep oatmeal in the bowl even as the writing is finding its audience. Show links: * JD’s site: jdbarker.com * Writer’s Ink Podcast - writersinkpodcast.com * Bigger Pocke...

It’s a solo-slinger episode! I kind of ramble a bit about a lot of different things, but over all I give you my hot take on why you should focus less on being loyal to your employer and instead pour your time, energy, and effort into building a career you own. I’m a writer, so that’s the focus of most of my time. But whatever business you’re building, this applies. The point is, your employer is n...

Dale Roberts has become a good friend to me over the past decade or so, and he’s certainly done a lot to help indie authors in their careers. His YouTube channel is superb, well thought out, and done with care. In this episode, though, Dale and I step back from the mic a bit and give you some of the behind the scenes of life in the self publishing space. Show links: * YouTube: https://www.youtube....

Melanie Herschorn is someone I first met after interviewing her for the Writers, Ink Podcast, and I’m really glad I did. Because as much as it is wonderful to meet someone who helps authors market their books, it’s even more wonderful to meet someone who is genuinely a good and enjoyable person to have a conversation with. And in this chat with Melanie, we do talk marketing and more. She’s a new,...

Find me on Substack at https://kevintumlinson.substack.com Joanna Penn, aka the Hose of the Creative Pen Podcast, aka author J.F. Penn… I could spend all day listing all the ways she’s influenced the indie publishing world. But her latest moves are opening eyes to a new way of thinking, and a whole new approach to writing and publishing. In this episode, Jo joins me to talk about what she’s doing...

It’s kind of weird how you can often find people who are living a life or working a career path that is eerily parallel to your own. That’s the case with me and my friend, Grant Faulkner. We both came to publishing around the same time and in roughly similar ways. We both ended up working for organizations that serve the writing community. And we both left those roles at roughly the same time, to...

I feel like the whole question of whether we live in a simulation is settled. We can see the pixels. And when we look closer at everything we ever thought of as being “the smallest thing that can exist,” we eventually look past it and see that the universe…. well, it stops making any sense. All the rules of order we think are fundamental to existence stop working altogether, at the quantum level....

I often tell people that poetry has never been my thing. But I’m learning that I’ve always been wrong about that. Because not only do I find myself reading more poetry, it turns out I’ve been writing my own poetry for years without quite realizing it. That’s not the case with my guest, Vance Monet. He’s a poet and he knows it. And he’s experimenting with something he calls “inversions metaphor,” c...

Cameron Sutter is a kind soul. If you ever get a chance to sit and chat with him at a conference or anywhere else, I promise he’s going to surprise you. He’s an author of fiction, but in his quest to make writing just a little easier for himself he ended up creating software that can make writing easier for you, too. Plottr is a versatile and amazing application that even I, a lifelong and dedicat...

Johnny B. Truant has been in the DNA of self publishing almost from the start. He’s an author, a podcaster, a reluctant influencers. Great guy, too. And his series, “Fat Vampire,” has been adapted by the SyFy Channel as “Reginald the Vampire.” Success by almost any definition! But is it success by Johnny’s definition? We talk about that, and about the movement and evolution happening in the publis...

JD Barker, New York Times and International best selling author, has had one of the most interesting lives and careers I can think of. From the time he was asked to write a Dracula novel by Bram Stoker estate to the time he solved a friend’s murder, and on to a prolific and successful career as a thriller writer, JD’s meandered along a path most of us couldn’t imagine. And then there’s the email…...

Michael Evans is a busy guy. Writing books. Recording podcasts. Founding and running a successful startup in the publishing space. And, oh yeah, graduating from Harvard. And yet he still had time to swing by and chat with me about how storytellers rule the world. And I agree. Take a listen to this episode of the Wordslinger Podcast, and stick around to hear this week’s 3 Things. Show links: Ream -...

Story builds brand loyalty. Give your audience a good story and they’re a fan for life. And this isn’t just for writers—this is for content creators, entrepreneurs, even employees. Listen in and I explain. In this episode, I talk about the San Antonio Zoo, Buc-ees, and my quest for the world’s best chicken salad. I also talk about worry and despair, versus the choice of joy and hope. WATCH THE EPI...

Social media is not a sales and marketing tool—it’s a COMMUNITY tool. And if you want to promote something (a book, a business, a service), it’s going to help a whole lot to come at it from that angle. We’re also talking about my “3 things” for this episode. Ever been accused of something you didn’t do? Had someone badmouth you behind your back? Me too. And I think that taps us both into one of th...

The Writer_ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Four years ago, August 2020, I posted the last episode of the Wordslinger Podcast. I didn’t really know it would be the last episode, at the time. But 2020 changed everything for me, and not just in the ways it changed everything for all of us. The pandemic did disr...

Steve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of 13 Cotton Malone adventures and four stand-alone thrillers. His books have been translated into 40 languages with more than 22,000,000 copies in 51 countries. They consistently appear in the top echelon of The New York Times, USA Today, and indie bestseller lists. GUEST LINKS: Website:: www.steveberry.org Amazon Author...

PETER D. JOHNSTON is a renowned negotiation expert and bestselling author of Negotiating with Giants, a nonfiction guide to the art and science of negotiation. His pioneering expertise in asymmetric negotiations is sought worldwide by companies and governments. A former journalist and banker, he is a graduate of the Harvard Business School and has been interviewed by CNN, ABC, Fox, The Wall Street...

Casey Barrett is a crime novelist, Canadian Olympian, and the co-founder and co-CEO of Imagine Swimming, New York City's largest learn-to-swim school. He is the author of the Shamus-nominated Duck Darley series, set in present-day Manhattan, with the third, THE TOWER OF SONGS, to be released on August 27th. Casey has won three Emmy awards and one Peabody award for his work on NBC's broadcasts of t...

Kevin talks about his upcoming adventure, as he and Kara hit the road in a tiny camper, living the #camperlife! How will Kevin keep up with the writing, the livestreaming, the podcasting, the marketing & PR work for Draft2Digital and Author. Email and Indie Author Blueprint and… PHEW! You’ll just have to tune in and see! SHOW LINKS: Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: youtube.com/c/KevinTumlinson Wor...

Kevin chats with author Mary Keliikoa about the debut of her new mystery novel, and how she’s building a platform before she even as a book released! Get full access to The Writer_ at kevintumlinson.substack.com/subscribe Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Evan Gow is the indie developer of StoryOrigin, a marketing tool and community of authors working together to build mailing lists, increase sales, and find reviewers. TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE SHOW LINKS: Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: youtube.com/c/KevinTumlinson Wordslinger Podcast on YouTube: youtube.com/c/wordslingerpodcast Author. Email : author.email Indie Author Blueprint: indieauthorblueprint...

TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE SHOW LINKS: Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: ⁠youtube.com/c/KevinTumlinson⁠ Wordslinger Podcast on YouTube: ⁠youtube.com/c/wordslingerpodcast⁠ ⁠Author. Email⁠ : ⁠author.email⁠ Indie Author Blueprint: ⁠indieauthorblueprint.com⁠ GUEST LINKS: Website:: ⁠http://www.jdsawyer.net⁠ Amazon Author Page:: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/J-Daniel-Sawyer/e/B003L9JM92⁠ Twitter:: ⁠@dsawyer⁠ Faceboo...

Carlyn Robertson is responsible for partner education on BookBub’s Partners Team. She’s an expert on BookBub’s promotional tools and ensures that authors, publishers, and book marketers know how to use those tools to accomplish their marketing goals. TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE SHOW LINKS: Subscribe to my YouTube Channel: youtube.com/c/KevinTumlinson Wordslinger Podcast on YouTube: youtube.com/c/wordslin...