Q&A: Best Writing Tools, Building an Audience, Designing a Cover, Release Strategy & More

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Between Drafts

Nathan Baugh and Nat Eliason

27 episodes

6 days ago

Are you an aspiring author dreaming of writing full-time? Join Nathan and Nat, two online writers navigating the murky waters of the publishing world, as they pull back the curtain on their journeys to becoming professional authors. With refreshing honesty and hard-won insights, they'll share the ups and downs, rejections and victories, and get real about their numbers, pitches, and publishing experiences. Whether you're hoping to publish fiction or nonfiction, traditionally or independently, this is a candid, unfiltered look at what it really takes.

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All content for Between Drafts is the property of Nathan Baugh and Nat Eliason and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

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Q&A: Best Writing Tools, Building an Audience, Designing a Cover, Release Strategy & More

Between Drafts

53 minutes 10 seconds

7 months ago

Q&A: Best Writing Tools, Building an Audience, Designing a Cover, Release Strategy & More

Get the full notes and bonuses for this episode https://betweendraftspod.com/episodes/11

In this mailbag episode of Between Drafts, Nathan and Nat tackle listener questions about cover art strategy, exploring the delicate balance between artistic vision and market appeal, and share their experiences with various writing tools and technologies that help bring their stories to life.

The conversation offers insights into the evolving landscape of self-publishing, from pricing strategies and pre-order campaigns to the crucial decisions around cover design and format choices. The hosts discuss how they're navigating the transition between online writing and fiction, sharing their perspectives on maintaining audience engagement while pursuing longer-form creative projects.

The episode concludes with a thoughtful discussion on crafting compelling non-fiction content in an AI-dominated world, emphasizing the importance of personal narrative and internal conflict in storytelling. And finally, Nat's exciting announcement about pre-orders opening for his upcoming book "Husk."

TIMESTAMPS

[00:53] How long it takes to make a book cover
[03:22] How Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson took off with a new cover
[04:36] Nat's cover design process for Husk
[09:39] Business book cover trends and formulas
[10:26] Hardcover vs paperback release strategy
[17:21] Writing tools we're using
[26:02] Balancing online writing with fiction writing
[30:19] Newsletter platforms: Substack vs Beehive vs ConvertKit
[36:07] Writing process: linear vs non-linear scene development
[43:42] Introducing conflict in nonfiction writing
[47:02] How we think about blogging strategy
[50:16] Husk preorder bundle announcement and logistics

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