EP 349 - Edward Willett of Shadow Paw Press

<p>Mark interviews author, podcaster, and publisher Edward Willett about his writing, his podcast, Kickstarter campaigns, and some bold new ventures he is pursuing with his publishing company Shadow Paw Press.</p> <p>Prior to the interview, Mark reads comments from recent episodes, shares a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor.</p> <div class="libsyn-modal__body modal-body"> <div class="p-4"> <p><a href="https://fas.st/t/Lx9ZBcyM" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img alt="" height="362" src="https://assets.libsyn.com/show/110600/ScribeCount.jpg" width="673" /></a></p> <p>This episode is sponsored by <a href="https://fas.st/t/Lx9ZBcyM" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ScribeCount</a> (affiliate link). Spend less time logging in to multiple platforms and crunching numbers, and more time writing and marketing your books thanks to ScribeCount's handy all-in-one interface.</p> <p>In the interview, Mark and Edward talk about:</p> <ul> <li>The very first short story Edward wrote at the age of 11, "Caster Glaz, Hyper Ship Test Pilot"</li> <li>Working as a newspaper reporter for about eight years while he continued to write<br /> - Selling his first short story</li> <li>Making reference to Canadian historical figures like John Diefenbaker and The Arrogant Worms, which non-Canadians might not understand. (Thank goodness for Google)</li> <li>Publishing a science fiction short story "Strange Harvest" in an agricultural magazine based on his reporting of oddly shaped plants. And how that story was adapted into a nationally broadcast CBC Radio drama and might just beward's most popular short story</li> <li>Becoming a full-time freelance writer more than thirty years ago</li> <li>The twelve novels that Edward has released with Daw Books</li> <li>The radio broadcast work that he did for seventeen years as a freelancer</li> <li>Why Edward started the Worldshapers Podcast</li> <li>The anthologies Edward released that tie in with the novel as well as the Kickstarters Edward has run for them</li> <li>The evolution and growth of Edward's Shadow Paw Press</li> <li>How in 2024 Edward is taking on a huge number of new and innovative products, including books by notable Canadian authors like Dave Duncan and Robert J. Sawyer</li> <li>Working with an actual sales force and distribution network like LitDistCo</li> <li>The ins and outs of grant writing and investments involved in trying to get real distribution</li> <li>Helping other authors with their self-publishing needs</li> <li>Advice Edward has for authors thinking about being a publisher as well as for writers in general</li> <li>And more....</li> </ul> <p>Mark then reflects on the value of a publisher with actual distribution and the difference between that and what any indie author can do in digital publishing.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Links of Interest:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://edwardwillett.com" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Edward Willett</a> (Website)</li> <li><a href="https://shadowpawpress.com" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Shadow Paw Press</a></li> <li><a href="https://theworldshapers.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Worldshapers Podcast</a></li> <li><a href="http://endless-sky-books.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Endless Sky Books</a></li> <li><a href="https://crowdfundr.com/ShadowpawPress?ref=sh_bCMRj6_ab_8DFlc9" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Crowdfundr For Shadow Paw Press</a></li> <li><a href="https://fas.st/t/Lx9ZBcyM" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ScribeCount</a> (Mark's Affiliate Link)</li> <li><a href="https://starkreflections.ca/2024/02/23/episode-348-amanda-byrd-on-direct-sales-and-authorsgodirect/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">EP 348 - Amanda Byrd on Direct Sales and AuthorsGoDirect</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2024-03-01-show/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Coast to Coast AM with George Noory</a> (Mark featured guest on March 1, 2024/March 2, 2024) <ul> <li><a href="https://www.coasttocoastam.com/guest/leslie-mark-71825/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Mark's Past Appearances on Coast to Coast AM</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="https://starkreflections.ca/2023/02/10/episode-290-thanks-for-the-inspiration-jim-turcott/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Mark's YouTube Channel</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/markleslie" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Buy Mark a Coffee</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Patreon for Stark Reflections</a> <ul> <li><a href="https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/articles/212055866-Subscribe-to-your-Audio-RSS-link-on-the-Patreon-app" rel="noopener" target="_blank">How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/workingwithlibrariesandbookstores" rel="noopener" target="_blank">An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries</a> <ul> <li> <div><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1168738" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Smashwords Link</a></div>  (eBook 57% Off until end of Feb 2024)</li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/relaxedauthor/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Relaxed Author</a> <ul> <li><a href="https://payhip.com/b/w7Gg1" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Buy eBook Direct</a></li> <li><a href="https://payhip.com/b/QK4ks" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Buy Audiobook Direct</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/b/publishingpitfalls" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Publishing Pitfalls for Authors</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/b/workingwithlibrariesandbookstores" rel="noopener" target="_blank">An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Wide for the Win</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books</a> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">This Time Around (Short Story)</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">A Canadian Werewolf in New York</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Stowe Away (Novella)</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Fear and Longing in Los Angeles</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.panoramaproject.org" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Fright Nights, Big City</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/loversmoon" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Lover's Moon</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/hexandcity" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Hex and the City</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/b/thecanadianmounted" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles</a></li> <li><a href="https://books2read.com/diehardtrivia" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard</a></li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><strong>Edward Willett</strong> is an award-winning author of more than sixty books science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction for both children and adults. He's also host of the Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers: "Conversations with science fiction and fantasy authors about the creative process." (http://www.theworldshapers.com). He successfully Kickstarted and edited a new anthology, Shapers of Worlds, featuring authors who were guests during the first year of the podcast. </p> <p>Among his novels are twelve published by DAW Books, one of the premier publishers of science fiction and fantasy publishers: Lost in Translation, Marseguro (which won the 2009 Aurora Award for best English-language science fiction or fantasy book by a Canadian author), and its sequel Terra Insegura (a finalist for the 2010 Aurora Award); Magebane (written as Lee Arthur Chane); the Masks of Aygrima fantasy trilogy for DAW Books, written as E.C. Blake; the stand-alone science fiction novel The Cityborn. His Worldshapers series began with Worldshaper ("a rollicking contemporary fantasy," Publishers' Weekly said in a starred review), and continued with Master of the World and The Moonlit World. His latest is The Tangled Stars, a humorous far-future space-opera adventure. Willett is also the author of The Shards of Excalibur modern-day YA fantasy series for Coteau Books, I Tumble Through the Diamond Dust, a collection of science fiction and fantasy poetry published by Your Nickel's Worth Publishing, and Paths to the Stars, a collection of his short fiction; Blue Fire a YA fantasy written as E.C. Blake, and Star Song, a YA science fiction novel that was a finalist for the Aurora Award for Best Canadian YA Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel, all published by Shadowpaw Press</p> <p> </p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-dark-gray-background-color has-dark-gray-color" /> <p><em>The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of <a href="https://incompetech.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">www.incompetech.com</a></em> <em>and is Licensed under</em> Creative Commons: By <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Attribution 3.0</a></p> </div> </div>