Author Elevate Podcast

Need a side hustle while you’re waiting for your books to take off? Enjoy helping authors and doing routine, detail oriented tasks? Then becoming an author assistant might be the right move for you! But before you jump in, Janeen Ippolito discusses the pros and cons of author assistant work in this episode of Author Elevate. Includes key questions to ask yourself before deciding to become an assistant, the differences between author assistance work and other kinds of author services, and how to connect with your ideal clients. Plus, in this week’s Our Take we discuss the Messy Middles of stories and how to make sure your story keeps readers riveted all the way to the end!

Feeling the marketing overwhelm? Pared down your admin tasks to bare minimum, and still don’t have time to write? My friend, it’s time for an author assistant. In this episode we discuss how to find an author assistant, what you need to do to prepare for an author assistant, and the key to handing off the right tasks. I also share my #1 tip for working well with an assistant (hint: dating isn’t just for romance). Plus, in the Our Take section we discuss the Writers Strike in Hollywood and what it means for creative workers in general.

What happens when you’re a plotter–but the ending decides to just not show up? How do you balance your heart story with a desire to serve readers? Janeen tackles all of this and more in this episode of the Author Elevate Podcast with guest author Tabitha Caplinger. Tabitha shares her tips and experiences with taking risks with your story, while also trying to think like a reader in editing. Plus, we talk about our favorite Marvel movies and why errands are best done with an ax and a shield.

Need more time to write? Wondering how you’ll finish that book–and if anyone will read it? This is your episode. Host Janeen is joined by author Ted Atchley for this first What My Book Taught Me feature, where we celebrate authors and books and learn from their author experiences. You won’t want to miss Ted’s dynamite discussions about the challenges of editing and the importance of prioritization as he finished up his sci-fi book, Key to Reality. Plus, we nerd out over Star Wars (because of course).

Who loves genre research? …All right, anyone love to hate it? Either way, we’re going to talk key tips and tricks to research your book’s genre for success in this episode of the Author Elevate Podcast. Dive into a step by step walk through the reasons for genre research and some of the best practices for getting started. Plus, it’s time for some news, including a potential social media publishing house and the latest on author vs. AI lawsuits.

What if a major publishing professional just ripped your writing to shreds? Or what if they gushed over it, but asked for specific tweaks? Or what if three different beta readers had three completely different opinions on a book? I’ve got you covered in this episode. We’ll discuss how to know when you should accept feedback–and when to put on blinders and ignore it. Plus, whether or not you should read book reviews (and why I’m off Goodreads for the foreseeable future).

Ever wonder how people just suddenly get into cool book projects? Want to expand your book’s reach? Effective author networking is the key, and this episode has the best practices for getting started. Learn why authors in your genre are comrades (not competition), how to get asked into projects, and strategies for book sharing. Plus, Janeen dives into Meta Threads and how to know if this social media platform right for you (or will just drive you crazy).

It’s time to write that draft–but you can’t get your brain out of editor mode! Yikes! Check out this episode of the Author Elevate podcast, where Janeen Ippolito dives into six tips about how to get into your first draft brain, and get those awesome words on the page Plus, this episode’s weekly take is all about why you have to persevere in writing (because the world really is out to get you but also…not…).

How do you know when it’s time to move on–and when it’s time to stick it out and do the hard things a little bit more? In this extra-special episode of the Author Elevate podcast, Janeen and Amy dive into four key questions to ask yourself in that all-important evaluation of your author life and career. Plus, we discuss the recent shutdown of our publishing house, Uncommon Universes Press, and what the future holds for Author Elevate (hint: the podcast is sticking around). Plus, our writing tips of the week.

(Hey there! This is the second episode in our Adding Revenue Streams Miniseries. This episode features an interview from the previous podcast, Own Your Unique Words, with Katie Phillips). Want to start offering author services alongside your books? Or have you done so, but seen zero results? Special guest Katie Phillips and I have you covered in this biz-tastic episode. Learn how to balance author services with books, top reasons NOT to offer author services, and our mistakes from our first offers. Plus, Katie answers the flavorful random question of the day.