Joshua Palmatier is an author, editor, and publisher. He is the founder and operator of Zombies Need Brains, a publisher who specializes in science fiction and fantasy themed anthologies, backed through Kickstarter. Zombies Needs Brains just announced their upcoming themes, and if the projects fund, they will have open calls!

News:

• Audible announces a new royalty model
• KDP announces hardbacks in UK
• Penguin Random House to buy Boom! Studios
• Macmillan to launch 23rd Street Books imprint
• RBMedia to buy Dreamscape

Writing Tools

• Writing Retreats - Both official and unofficial

Creatives on F.I.R.E.:

• Lifestyle Deflation
• Different types of conventions and the purpose for going

World famous rogue, Asia Lupo, joins the pod this week to talk about song writing and all things creative! Asia is best known by her stage name, Azia, while performing with the bands, Music the Gathering & Sämäs.

News:

• Audibooks big-bada-boom
• Camp NaNoWriMo
• Barnes & Noble foot traffic
• Romance Writers of America

AI News:

• Speechify and Audiobooks, read by... YOU

Tools:

• Publisher Rocket

Creatives on F.I.R.E.:

• Eating healthy on a tight budget
• Ads Rant - The thing no one told us about ads

Old friend of the pod, Shayne Easson joins us this week to blather about all things writing. And fishing. Mostly writing, though.

We're back from hiatus and we have a lot to say! We're also just back from Soonercon and it was amazing as usual!

News:

• Tolkien Memorial
• 1632
• Weltbild
• Bookfunnel & Audiobooks
• Inkers Con
• Writer Beware Impersonation Scams
• Kindle Dire Publishing warns of scams
• The National Music Publishers Associate vs Spotify
• KDP announces the Velleys
• Authors vs Amazon

Writing Tools:

• Bookfunnel

Creatives on F.I.R.E.

• How is Phill's retirement going?

Celebration time! In this week's very special episode, we're celebrating Phill's transition from corporate jerk to full-time author, and getting into the nitty gritty on how Phill and J.H. have slowly grinded this pipe dream into a reality. It's episode 42, and it's about life, the universe, and everything.

Literary agent Stacey Kondla joins the pod this week to talk about agenting, concerts, and parrots. On a related note, Phill might be part parrot. Stacey provides some great advice for anyone out there in the querying trenches.

News:

• The Never-Ending Story will never end
• Library fines paid in cat pics
• Reading the newspaper is cool again?
• The U.K. publishing sector

Tools:

• The value of a robot voice reading your stories to you

Creatives on F.I.R.E.:

• Do's and dont's of querying
• What Phill has learned transitioning to a full time author