Today I am so excited to have bestselling author Kat Martin on the show!

Kat is the author of sixty-eight historical and contemporary romantic suspense novels, and with over sixteen million copies of her books in print in twenty countries outside the US, you could say Kat knows a thing or two about building a long-term career as an author.

The first book of her most recent series The Texas Trilogy, also known as the Beyond— series, Beyond Reason, received a coveted starred review from Publisher’s Weekly. The second installment, Beyond Danger, hit shelves on January 30, 2018, and the third, Beyond Control, is coming in June 2018.

Listen in as we chat about not only Kat’s latest series, but the strategic decisions she made on her career path to bestselling author.

In this episode Kat and I discuss:

• How to keep yourself motivated in the early days of your writing career.
• Knowing when to say goodbye, how to change agents and publishers.
• Who owns the rights? What to look for in contracts.
• Matching your writing pace to the voracious romance reader without going crazy.
• Kat’s tips for staying in control of your series.

Plus, Kat’s #1 tip for writers.

About Kat Martin

Bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. Currently residing with her Western-author husband, L. J. Martin, in Missoula, Montana, Kat has written sixty eight historical and contemporary romantic suspense novels.  More than sixteen million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in twenty foreign countries.

Into the Firestorm, the final book in the Boss Inc trilogy, took the #7 spot on the New York Times Bestseller List, a personal best for Kat and it’s her 15th novel in a row to be included on that prestigious list.

Beyond Reason, the 1st book in Kat’s new Texas Trilogy, received a coveted STARRED REVIEW, from Publishers Weekly! Beyond Danger, book #2, hit shelves on January 30, 2018, and the third book in this series, Beyond Control, is coming in June 2018.

Kat is currently at work on her next romantic suspense.

To connect with Kat check out her website at www.KatMartin.com.

The Texas Trilogy

Book 1: Beyond Reason

Five weeks ago Carly Drake stood at her grandfather’s grave. Now she’s burying Drake Trucking’s top driver, and the cops have no leads on the hijacking or murder. Faced with bankruptcy, phone threats and the fear of failure, Carly has to team up with the last man she wants to owe—Lincoln Cain.

Cain is magnetic, powerful, controlling—and hiding more than one secret. He promised Carly’s granddad he’d protect her. The old man took a chance on him when he was nothing but a kid with a record, and now he’s the multi-millionaire owner of a rival firm.

But Linc’s money can’t protect Carly from the men who’ll do anything to shut her down, or the secrets behind Drake Trucking. If she won’t sell out, the only way to keep her safe is to keep her close . . . and fight like hell.

Book 2: Beyond Danger

Texas mogul Beau Reese is furious. All six feet three obscenely wealthy, good-looking inches of him. His sixty-year-old father, Stewart, a former state senator no less, has impregnated a teenager. Barely able to contain his anger, Beau is in for another surprise. It appears that Stewart has moved an entirely different woman into the house . . .

Beau assumes that stunning Cassidy Jones is his father’s mistress. At least she’s of age. But those concerns take a sudden backseat when he finds Stewart in a pool of blood on the floor of his study—and Cassidy walks in to find Beau with his hand on the murder weapon.

The shocks just keep coming. Someone was following Stewart, and Cassidy is the detective hired to find out who and why. Now she’ll have to find his killer instead. Her gut tells her it wasn’t Beau. And Beau’s instincts tell him it wasn’t Cassidy. Determined to track down the truth, they form an uneasy alliance—one that will bring them closer to each other—closer to danger and beyond . . .

Book 3: Beyond Control

When Victoria Langford got engaged, she told herself to give love a chance. Six months later, she’s on the run from her angry, abusive ex-fiancé with her four-year-old daughter and nowhere to go.

Seventy miles north of Dallas, the Iron River Ranch is pretty much nowhere. That’s what its new owner, Josh Cain, wanted when he came back from Afghanistan. Big skies, quiet nights, no trouble.

One look tells Josh the pretty redhead with the adorable little girl will give him trouble of the most personal kind. But he’s seen trouble before, and he doesn’t scare easy. Not when “accidents” start happening around the ranch. Not when Tory’s best friend back in Phoenix is abducted and brutalized. Not even when it looks like their current problems are only the tip of the iceberg.

But if he gets too close to fierce, determined Tory, Josh knows his nights are going to be anything but quiet. And that’s one possibility no amount of training can prepare him for . . .

If you decide to check out the first two books in The Texas Trilogy— Beyond Reason and Beyond Danger— or pre-order the third book— Beyond Control— we hope you’ll do so via these Amazon affiliate links, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 184

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio or Google Play and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 184: Your Author Career Strategy — Interview with Kat Martin appeared first on DIY MFA.

Before founding Xist Publishing, she had a broad range of professional experiences, from writing for a content mill while living outside Dublin, to writing medical copy from a village in Cyprus, and even to running a production company specializing in industry education videos. Calee has a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MA in English from California State University, Fullerton. She currently lives with her husband and two children in Orange County, California.

In this episode Calee Lee and I talk about:

• Small presses and what they add to the publishing marketplace.
• The process of digital-only publishing, and how it differs from print publishing.
• The children’s publishing market in the digital realm.
• The advantages of a small press for authors.
• And what submissions Xist is looking for right now.

Plus Calee’s #1 tip for writers.

Resources:

For more information about Xist Publishing, visit their website or follow them on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.

If you’re interested in submitting your work for consideration at Xist publishing, please send them an email (submissions at xistpublishing dot com) with your first three chapters, or check out their submissions page for more details.

Link to Episode 51

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available. Also, if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please share!

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome.

The post Episode 51: Interview with Calee Lee of Xist Publishing appeared first on DIY MFA.

If you haven’t already subscribed to Porter Anderson’s twitter feed, let me take a minute to explain why it’s one of the most important twitter accounts to follow in the publishing realm. Porter is certainly prolific–between 50 and a 100 tweets every day. He also live-tweets from several conferences each year, and following his Twitter feed can be the next-best-thing to being there yourself.

These are both good reasons, but the most important one is this: if you want current information from an objective source, then Porter Anderson is the person you need to follow. His tweets are about the world of publishing, and the future of publishing, but they’re written with a focus on writers, not industry folks. He tweets links to blog posts on writing, book release news, key conference information and much more.

He also shares where to find his own writing online, because his articles could be on any number of websites. And trust me, if you think his tweets are useful, you don’t want to miss his posts and articles. Reading them is like the online equivalent of sitting down with Porter over a glass of wine (or Campari) and having a smart–sometimes even heated–discussion about publishing.

Porter says his favorite part of his job “is keeping a constant stream of information going out–and by traveling and appearing at conferences and other events in many parts of the world in publishing–I’m able to synthesize a highly focused look at just what’s working, what isn’t, and who’s leading at any moment.” I’m so glad he does this job because when he shares this information in articles and on social media, we all win.

This is why, when I was looking for someone to speak about the publishing industry at Lit Loft, I knew it had to be Porter. I go to a lot of conferences and at each one I hear at least two or three talks about what’s new in our industry. The problem is that these talks are usually given editors, agents, publishers or other people who have a vested interest in the system. After all, wouldn’t these people have a stake in the matter that might lend a certain bias?

Porter Anderson navigates the industry without being of the industry. This means he can look at the issues from multiple angles and give a comprehensive perspective. And don’t get me wrong, Porter certainly shares his opinions from time to time, but what I love about his writing is that he presents the facts and lets the readers decide for themselves. And just because his reporting is detailed and evenhanded doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining too. Have you read either of the “Ethers” lately? Porter’s voice can make even the most complicated, head-spinning business topics (agency pricing anyone?) into a fun read.

For instance, his recent account of Franzenmania is not just smart and informative, it’s also hilarious. And the best part is that Porter always manages to relate even the most seemingly-removed topics to something that resonates with writers. The Franzen article isn’t just about Franzen, it’s about the crazy things writers will do when book sales are on the line. In fact, Porter’s quote at the top of this profile comes from that article.

So, what advice does Porter have for writers?

Slow down. The biggest mistake most writers are making is rushing to market simply because, thanks to digital, they can. Real writing and top-notch production take time. And the industry will get only better as the digital disruption works its way through publishing. Hang on if you can and don’t publish quickly or lightly. The market is glutted with books. We can wait until yours is truly ready.
–Porter Anderson

Patience is a trait we could all use a bit more of. But especially when it comes to writing it’s better to put your–and your book’s–best foot forward. I’m delighted that Porter Anderson will be speaking about the publishing industry at Lit Loft. He’ll be sharing insights and debunking some industry myths so you don’t want to miss this.

Porter Anderson will be speaking at LitLoft 2013.
Registration closes Thursday so sign up today!

The post What I Learned About the Publishing Industry from Porter Anderson appeared first on DIY MFA.