In this episode, debut author Stefanie Medrek shares her journey into writing, the influence of her writer father, and her experiences with mentorship and self-publishing. She discusses her genre selection, the drafting process, and the importance of editing and professional help. Stefanie also reflects on her launch experience, marketing strategies, and the balance between writing and family life. Throughout the discussion, she emphasizes the significance of community support as the number one writer tool.

Keywords

writing, self-publishing, mentorship, editing, community, imposter syndrome, author journey, marketing strategies, genre selection, drafting process

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

02:49 The Journey of Writing and Family Influence

05:41 Choosing a Genre and Publishing Route

07:55 Drafting Process

11:02 Editing

13:32 Debut Novel Launch Strategy

16:40 Balancing Writing with Family Life

17:49 Debut Launch

21:08 Routine

22:35 Community

26:19 Promotion Strategies

27:40 Building an Author Brand

28:58 Finding Your Author Voice

31:41 Imposter Syndrome

35:09 Reviews and Feedback

37:26 Writing Advice

39:20 Reflections

42:33 Future Projects and Author Heroes

45:36 Resources on Writing

47:22 Connecting with Readers

Recommendations

Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast by Savannah Gilbo

Story Grid book and podcast

Notes to Novel course by Savannah Gilbo: https://www.savannahgilbo.com/store

Guest Links

Instagram / TikTok: @medrekwrites

Website: https://medrekwrites.com/

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0DF92RFQZ

Host

Instagram | TikTok: @kkalbabooks

Email: k.k.alba.books@gmail.com

Recorded with Riverside.fm.

Music by Denis Pavlov from Pixabay.