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February 23, 2021

Podcast Profile

 

   LiveWriters chats with    JW McAteer and Kevin McMahon of the Story Discovery Podcast and Onyx Publications


Photos: JW (left), Kevin (below)

Q: Tell readers about Onyx Publications and the new Etched Onyx magazine (accepting submissions until March 5). What is your mission? Why did you start the venture?
A: We started Onyx Publications because as aspiring writers ourselves, we understand the challenge of getting your work to a broader audience. We also understand that for the most part, writers just want their stories to be alive, out there in the world. Our mission is to provide an accessible path for writers and poets to showcase their work and broaden their reach, so that readers across the globe can discover new stories. We know that writing is a process that requires continuous investment of time, effort, and experience. The idea is simply to share our experience and invest some of our time, in the hopes that we all become better writers through this endeavor.

Q: How does the Story Discovery Podcast complement the magazine?
A: One of the things we love most about Onyx Publications, besides reading the amazing stories that people tell, is the podcast. There is just something special about hearing your own work, your own words, being read aloud by someone else. Podcasts make storytelling accessible, and can reach anyone in the world with an internet connection. For each podcast, we first narrate the story, so listeners who are just looking for good short stories, poems, or flash fiction, can find them and listen. After the narration, Kevin and I interview the author and talk writing craft a bit, but it’s also a chance to get to know the authors and just have a conversation. The podcast gives an extra dimension to Etched Onyx magazine. You can read the story, or you can hear the story, it’s up to you. And if you want to go deep, you can even get to know the authors a little bit. We think this helps us stand out and provides a larger platform for writers to express their voice.
Q: What is your favorite part about hosting a podcast? What keeps you excited for each new episode? 
A: You never know what you’re going to get! This is the best part about talking with writers and it’s been so much fun. Writers are, well, let’s be honest, characters in and of themselves. We generally talk about the writing craft just to get into the mindset of the writers, but I’d say 100% of the time we veer off into some crazy subject, like bear attacks, or story characters who have befriended their creators, or their favorite emotions (and it’s not what you think!). So, yep, getting excited about each episode is easy, it’s like reading a good book, we don’t know where it’s going to lead or how it’ll turn out, but we know it’ll be a fun ride!

Podcast News

Book Pages 
Brooklyn Lawyer Bob Stein Weighs in on Copyright Law and What May Constitute 'Fair Use'

When it comes to making "fair use" determinations... "[...] My primary concerns were whether or not my client's unlicensed use of third-party materials was for the purposes of criticism, commentary, news reporting, scholarship, or research, and, further, whether my client was using the 'heart' of the 'borrowed' material, and whether he could use less of the 'borrowed' material and still achieve his objective." 

And coming up with his own informal guideline... "I'd seen opinions which held that the defendant's borrowing of 5% or 10% or more of a copyrighted work did not constitute fair use, but I'd never seen an opinion holding that 1% or less was not fair use. So I tried to get my clients to limit their taking of copyrighted film or music to 1% or less of the original, even though that 1% standard is nowhere to be found in the Copyright Act or any judicial opinion I have seen." 
 

Replay 

Our Replay pick for this issue is the Build Your Business with a Book episode "How Do I Get Blurbs for My Book?" with host Anna David (Jan. 27, 2021).

This podcast is great for authors who are looking for advice on marketing and promoting their books--especially those who may be new to the publishing industry or who publish with small or independent presses (and so maybe don't have publicists working with or for them).  

This episode focuses on the important "Dos and Don'ts" of asking other well-known authors for blurbs. (Spoiler: It's not an honor for them.) David shares advice and vignettes, including a past faux pas from when she was new to all of this herself. 

Talk To Us

We built LiveWriters to serve writers, readers, publishers, and the podcasting community. Since you are our audience, please let us know what we can do to make LiveWriters better. Send suggestions, ideas, and any criticisms that will improve LiveWriters and make it a better and more useful experience to David Wilk at david@livewriters.com.

If you like what we are doing, please share the site with your friends. You can follow us on Twitter @livewriters.

And if you'd like to advertise to an audience that loves books and reading, or if you'd like to become a sponsor, write to david@livewriters.com.

Thanks for all your support and for being part of this community.

-David
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286 Curtis Ave
Stratford, CT 06615-7613

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February 9, 2021


Podcast Profile

 

LiveWriters chats with Carol Fitzgerald of "Bookreporter Talks to"




Q: What energizes and motivates you to create each new episode of the “Bookreporter Talks To” podcast? How do you keep it fresh every time? 
 

 


A: I spend a lot of time thinking about what readers will want to learn from our interview. As I read a book to prep for an interview, I dog-ear the pages as I think about plot, character, and even phrasing that I want to explore with the author. Each author is different, and each book is different. If it’s a debut author, there is a chance that they have not done a number of interviews, so putting them at ease is a big part of the conversation. With an established author, I want to present their work framed against the rest of what they have done. In addition to reading the book, I do research, and watch and listen to other interviews that the author has done, with an eye on making ours memorable. I always have questions prepared in advance, and I try to set them up so the conversation moves along naturally. Each author has his or her own story to tell, and I see my role as allowing them to tell that story to our listeners in a way that will either bring the listener to say, “I want to read that book,” or “I know someone who would want to read that book.” To keep it fresh, I always am trying to think of the question that no one else has asked. The one where the author will pause and think, “That’s a question I always have wanted to answer.”

Q: Who is a guest you especially enjoyed hosting, and why? 
A: We’ve had so many great authors as guests that it’s difficult to pick just one. In November we hosted our first “Bookaccino Live” Book Group, which is a new addition to our usual “Bookreporter Talks To” interviews. The conversation with Jeanine Cummins about American Dirt was so in-depth--and wide-ranging. She got to tell the story that she wanted to share about the book, and that was very meaningful to us.  Then a couple of weeks ago, we hosted William Kent Krueger in that same format and he commented later, “How comfortable and enjoyable it was just chatting, as if we weren't being watched but just carrying on a conversation between good friends. Thanks so much for setting that relaxed atmosphere.” I loved that feedback as it sums up the ambiance that I hope to create. Among the 80 interviews that we have done to date, there have been memorable moments from each one; I literally can quote some special “aha moment” from each conversation. I am looking at our upcoming lineup and am excited about those as well.

Q: What is something you have gained from experience that you wish you would have known from the start? 
A: Sound will change according to where you record. When we first started “Bookreporter Talks To,” we were recording live and in-person in our New York office. Last March when the pandemic hit, we did a quick pivot to Zoom and we recorded on video, as well as audio for the podcast. We found that being able to see the person we are interviewing is much better than just recording audio. You can see what they’re reacting to, and from there you can change up the conversation. You can get listeners who also want to watch. BUT the acoustics at my home studio were very different from the office, and it took time to get the setup right. The way light and sound work in different settings is not to be underestimated.
 

Podcast News


 

Book Pages 

Replay 

Our Replay pick for this issue is the LaVar Burton Reads episode "'Silver Door Diner' by Bishop Garrison" with host LaVar Burton (Feb. 2, 2021).

This podcast is worth listening to for the soothing sound of Burton's voice alone, but its charm is more extensive than that. Burton's motivation for creating the series is as wholesome as anyone would guess: He just wants to share great short stories with his listeners. 

This episode is a reading of Bishop Garrison's "Silver Door Diner," published in FIYAH #16: Joy. Garrison's story is an ambitious combination of science fiction, apocalyptic fiction, love story, and allegory. Dire as things seem, it ends on a hopeful note. Give it a listen and see for yourself. 

Talk To Us

We built LiveWriters to serve writers, readers, publishers, and the podcasting community. Since you are our audience, please let us know what we can do to make LiveWriters better. Send suggestions, ideas, and any criticisms that will improve LiveWriters and make it a better and more useful experience to David Wilk at david@livewriters.com.

If you like what we are doing, please share the site with your friends. You can follow us on Twitter @livewriters.

And if you'd like to advertise to an audience that loves books and reading, or if you'd like to become a sponsor, write to david@livewriters.com.

Thanks for all your support and for being part of this community.

-David
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Twitter
Website
LinkedIn

Copyright (C) 2021 LiveWriters. All rights reserved.

You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.

 

LiveWriters
286 Curtis Ave
Stratford, CT 06615-7613

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January 26, 2021

Logo

Introducing LiveWriters

Q&A with founder David Wilk

Q: What are the main features of the LiveWriters website?

A: LiveWriters is primarily a curated collection of podcasts, all related to books, in three categories—about books for readers, about writing for writers, and about publishing for publishers and writers. And of course, many of the podcasts we feature cross over either in content or interest, so anyone interested in books and writing can find compelling and entertaining podcasts related to books and writing.

Q: What podcast services can people connect with through the site?

A: We're a discovery site for listeners, so we hope you will find podcasts here you like and then go listen to them wherever you listen to podcasts. But if you are a podcaster, or want to learn how to podcast, we feature a variety of resources and information, and we can help you directly—just ask us.

Q: What is one thing you wish you would have known as a first-time podcaster?

A: Everything I know about podcasting I learned by doing. The technical elements of podcasting have been the most challenging to learn, especially distribution. But when I started podcasting at writerscast.com in 2008, there were far fewer resources available than today, so what I was up against then is simply not an issue today. That is a great thing.

Podcast News

Book Pages

Replay

Our Replay pick for this issue is Writer Writer Pants on Fire’s “Indie Author Len Joy on Publishing Later in Life” with host Mindy McGinnis (Jan. 12, 2021).

The podcast covers everything from craft to publishing to marketing, but this particular episode is noteworthy due to its breadth and the inspiration Joy offers to listeners. His life’s journey from young businessman to published author and triathlete in his 50s reminds mid- and later-life writers that it’s okay not to make any “30 under 30” lists. Joy also has great advice about the value of experience and fortitude, and what not to take away from writing workshops. After listening, you’ll feel optimistic about your current writing project. You might even go for a jog.

Talk To Us

We built LiveWriters to serve writers, readers, publishers, and the podcasting community. Since you are our audience, please let us know what we can do to make LiveWriters better. Send suggestions, ideas, and any criticisms that will improve LiveWriters and make it a better and more useful experience to David Wilk at david@livewriters.com.

If you like what we are doing, please share the site with your friends. You can follow us on Twitter @livewriters.

And if you'd like to advertise to an audience that loves books and reading, or if you'd like to become a sponsor, write to david@livewriters.com.

Thanks for all your support and for being part of this community.

-David

Write to david@livewriters.com

Livewriters.com
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