SHOW NOTES Subscribe on YouTube: https://youtube.com/wordslingerpodcast I’ve co-authored a book or two in my career, but now that I’m partnering with J.D. Barker on one, it’s an eye opening experience. Luckily, I have plenty of opportunity to get a sneak peek into the process as JD and our podcast co-host Christine Daigle are set to release their f…

SHOW NOTES Subscribe on YouTube: https://youtube.com/wordslingerpodcast Sometimes I get to interview someone that I just click with, and this was definitely one of those times. Thriller author Taylor Moore lives in the Texas Panhandle, and draws on his experiences there as well as his background as a former CIA agent to craft stories that will keep…

Join hosts Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including Lauren Sánchez, Honey & Wax, Banned Books Week, and Kindle Vella. Then, stick around for a chat with Michelle Chouinard! Michelle Chouinard is the USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon Charts bestselling author behind The Serial-…

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including why publishers try skinnier books, how the Authors Guild reached an agreement with TouchPoint Press, and Simon & Schuster Children's new deal. Then, stick around for a chat with John Gaspard! John Gaspard is author of the Eli Marks myst…

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including TikTok, Audible's AI voice replica service, and James Blatch's new podcast. Then, stick around for a chat with Taylor Moore! Taylor Moore - "I’m often asked how I ended up at the CIA, a question to which there are more …

SHOW NOTES Subscribe on YouTube: https://youtube.com/wordslingerpodcast Small victories… sometimes they’re the only victories we get. So we should learn how to take every little victory and milk it for all the momentum we can get out of it. In this episode I talk about using tools like journaling, branding, AI, and just the act of opening a word pr…

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including Canva, AI, and The Black List. Then, stick around for a chat with Stella Sands! Stella Sands is the bestselling author of six true-crime books: Baby-Faced Butchers, The Dating Game Killer, Behind the Mask, Murder at Yal…

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including Len Riggio, a new bookstore map, and Jack Ryan. Then, stick around for a chat with Ann Garvin! Ann Garvin, Ph.D. is the USA Today Bestselling author and finalist for the Thomas Wolf Fiction Prize. She is the author of s…

SHOW NOTES Subscribe on YouTube: https://youtube.com/wordslingerpodcast This didn’t start out as an “AI” episode, but it kind of veered that way. Here I’m talking about ways I use AI to help (not DO) my writing, and ways I think it can be beneficial to other writers and creatives. I also talk about what I call the “Artisan Age,” and the emphasis of…

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including Sherryl Clark's Amazon deal, Anthropic's AI lawsuit, and ElevenLabs' new app. Then, stick around for a chat with S.B. Caves! Born and raised in North London, S.B. Caves is the international bestselling author of A Kille…

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news. Then, stick around for a chat with Karin Slaughter! Karin Slaughter is one of the world's most popular and acclaimed storytellers. She is the author of more than twenty instant New York Times bestselling novels, including the Edg…

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including identity verification for KDP authors and Spiracle's ‘Audiobook in a Card.' Then, stick around for a chat with L.S. Stratton! L.S. Stratton is an NAACP Image Award-nominated author and former crime newspaper reporter who has written more…

This didn’t start out as an “AI” episode, but it kind of veered that way. Here I’m talking about ways I use AI to help (not DO) my writing, and ways I think it can be beneficial to other writers and creatives. I also talk about what I call the “Artisan Age,” and the emphasis of quality over quantity. Perspective and experience are the new commoditi…

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including SPF podcast shutting down, why X is under pressure from regulators, and how Instagram starts letting people create AI versions of themselves. Then, stick around for a chat with Sophie Brickman! Sophie Brickman is a writ…

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including: Hugo awards organizers reveal thousands were spent on fraudulent votes to help one writer win; Orbit, a division of Hachette Book Group, announced the launch of Run for It; and HarperAlley, the graphic novel imprint at…

It’s a Solo Slinger episode, and this week I’m talking about refiling your bucket, sharpening your axe and/or saw, and basically just improving your mental health and your creative work by finding hobbies and other experiences. We’e in the business of observing, contemplating, and expressing, so we could use some interesting things to observe. Also…

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including: "CCC Announces Collective Solution for Internal AI Licenses," "Audible Rolls Out New Royalty Plan," and "Hachette Reorgs Workman, Moves Algonquin into Little, Brown." Then, stick around for a chat with Katherine Wood! …

JD Barker returns and this time he’s talking money. And since we all like money, I think we’re going to be in good shape. This episode we explore the side hustle, revenue diversity, eggs in baskets, the whole game. Here’s a way to keep oatmeal in the bowl even as the writing is finding its audience. Show links: * JD’s site: jdbarker.com * Writer’s …

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including Random House Publishing Group acquiring Boom! Studios, WIPO launching a toolkit for authors and publishers, and TikTok’s AI Chatbot called Genie. Then, stick around for a chat with Peter James! Peter James is a UK No.1 …

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including controlled digital lending, The 'Wall Street Journal' dropping its bestseller lists, a Kindle Vella contest, and TikTok lifting Kindle sales. Then, stick around for a chat with Kelsea Yu! Kelsea Yu is a Taiwanese Chines…

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including how an agent was fired over Twitter posts, some actual Amazon book sales data, Shopify adding sellers to its third-party marketplace, and how ElevenLabs just launched its iOS app. Then, stick around for a chat with Snow…

It’s a solo-slinger episode! I kind of ramble a bit about a lot of different things, but over all I give you my hot take on why you should focus less on being loyal to your employer and instead pour your time, energy, and effort into building a career you own. I’m a writer, so that’s the focus of most of my time. But whatever business you’re buildi…

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including Barnes & Noble purchasing Tattered Cover, how you can read classics with A.I. guides, Saturday Books' new launch, and how authors seek help to plug their own books. Then, stick around for a chat with Ace Atkins! Ace Atk…

Dale Roberts has become a good friend to me over the past decade or so, and he’s certainly done a lot to help indie authors in their careers. His YouTube channel is superb, well thought out, and done with care. In this episode, though, Dale and I step back from the mic a bit and give you some of the behind the scenes of life in the self publishing …

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including The New List, Little and Brown hitting layoffs, and how English-Language books are filling Europe’s bookstores. Then, stick around for a chat with Kimberly Belle! Kimberly Belle is the USA Today and internationally best…

Melanie Herschorn is someone I first met after interviewing her for the Writers, Ink Podcast, and I’m really glad I did. Because as much as it is wonderful to meet someone who helps authors market their books, it’s even more wonderful to meet someone who is genuinely a good and enjoyable person to have a conversation with. And in this chat with Mel…

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Dick Wybrow as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including the Romance Writers of America filing for bankruptcy, Polis Books, and how Costco plans to stop selling books year round. Then, stick around for a chat with Carol LaHines! Carol LaHines: For me, the most affecting stor…

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including the Amazon Audible Audiobook Antitrust, Microsoft’s AI deal with UAE, the 2024 U.S. Book Show, and Beventi. Then, stick around for a chat with Ellery Lloyd! Ellery Lloyd – Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos Collette Lyons i…

Find me on Substack at https://kevintumlinson.substack.com Joanna Penn, aka the Hose of the Creative Pen Podcast, aka author J.F. Penn… I could spend all day listing all the ways she’s influenced the indie publishing world. But her latest moves are opening eyes to a new way of thinking, and a whole new approach to writing and publishing. In this ep…

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including Penguin Random House dismissing two of its top publishers, why Scarlett Johansson is angered over a new ChatGPT voice, and A24 striking a deal with publishing house Mack. Then, stick around for a chat with author Michael Jamin! Michael …

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including Laureate Alice Munro, the DOJ’s suit to block Penguin Random House’s acquisition of Simon & Schuster, how OpenAI destroyed a trove of books used to train AI models, and GPT-4o. Then, stick around for a chat with author …

It’s kind of weird how you can often find people who are living a life or working a career path that is eerily parallel to your own. That’s the case with me and my friend, Grant Faulkner. We both came to publishing around the same time and in roughly similar ways. We both ended up working for organizations that serve the writing community. And we b…

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, Kevin Tumlinson, and Dick Wybrow as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including Simon & Schuster acquiring Holland’s VBK, KDP Virtual Voice Beta's Audible titles, and how a billionaire who helped bring ‘3-Body Problem’ to Netflix was killed by his business partner. Then, stick around f…

I feel like the whole question of whether we live in a simulation is settled. We can see the pixels. And when we look closer at everything we ever thought of as being “the smallest thing that can exist,” we eventually look past it and see that the universe…. well, it stops making any sense. All the rules of order we think are fundamental to existen…

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including the world’s first book with a ‘NO-AI’ warranty, how you can clone your voice for audio production, and the prison book program. Then, stick around for a chat with author Sarina Bowen! Sarina Bowen is a 24-time USA Today …

I often tell people that poetry has never been my thing. But I’m learning that I’ve always been wrong about that. Because not only do I find myself reading more poetry, it turns out I’ve been writing my own poetry for years without quite realizing it. That’s not the case with my guest, Vance Monet. He’s a poet and he knows it. And he’s experimentin…

Join hosts Christine Daigle, Jena Brown and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including AI that will create audiobooks for foreign titles, Don Winslow's retirement, and how "no one buys books." Then, stick around for a chat with AutoCrit's Daniel Kaplan! AutoCrit began humbly as the brainchild of an unpublished writer w…

Cameron Sutter is a kind soul. If you ever get a chance to sit and chat with him at a conference or anywhere else, I promise he’s going to surprise you. He’s an author of fiction, but in his quest to make writing just a little easier for himself he ended up creating software that can make writing easier for you, too. Plottr is a versatile and amazi…

Join hosts JD Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including how the U.K.’s biggest publishers are using AI, Amazon adding Andrew Ng, and Amazon putting all three Claude AI models on Bedrock. Then, stick around for a chat with author CJ Tudor! C. J. Tudor's love of writing, especial…

Johnny B. Truant has been in the DNA of self publishing almost from the start. He’s an author, a podcaster, a reluctant influencers. Great guy, too. And his series, “Fat Vampire,” has been adapted by the SyFy Channel as “Reginald the Vampire.” Success by almost any definition! But is it success by Johnny’s definition? We talk about that, and about …

Join hosts JD Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including Storiaverse launching a groundbreaking mobile entertainment app, IngramSpark Shareable Purchase Links, and how Meta stole everyone's books. Then, stick around for a chat with author Anthony Horowitz! Anthony Horowitz is on…

JD Barker, New York Times and International best selling author, has had one of the most interesting lives and careers I can think of. From the time he was asked to write a Dracula novel by Bram Stoker estate to the time he solved a friend’s murder, and on to a prolific and successful career as a thriller writer, JD’s meandered along a path most of…

Join hosts JD Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including Small Press Distribution shutting down, deals rebounding in the first quarter, and how Google is considering charging for AI-powered search. Then, stick around for a chat with author Steven James! Steven James is a critica…

Michael Evans is a busy guy. Writing books. Recording podcasts. Founding and running a successful startup in the publishing space. And, oh yeah, graduating from Harvard. And yet he still had time to swing by and chat with me about how storytellers rule the world. And I agree. Take a listen to this episode of the Wordslinger Podcast, and stick aroun…

Join hosts JD Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including the KDP invitation-only beta for audiobooks, new Association of American Publishers (AAP) data, and how to train ‘the horses of enlightenment.' Then, stick around for a chat with author Carter Wilson! Carter Wilson is the …

Story builds brand loyalty. Give your audience a good story and they’re a fan for life. And this isn’t just for writers—this is for content creators, entrepreneurs, even employees. Listen in and I explain. In this episode, I talk about the San Antonio Zoo, Buc-ees, and my quest for the world’s best chicken salad. I also talk about worry and despair…

Join hosts JD Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including Gabriel García Márquez’s sons publishing his final novel, Elon Musk releasing Chatbot Code, and US publishers filing a brief opposing internet archive’s appeal. Then, stick around for a chat with author Cynthia Pelayo! Cyn…

Social media is not a sales and marketing tool—it’s a COMMUNITY tool. And if you want to promote something (a book, a business, a service), it’s going to help a whole lot to come at it from that angle. We’re also talking about my “3 things” for this episode. Ever been accused of something you didn’t do? Had someone badmouth you behind your back? Me…

The Writer_ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Four years ago, August 2020, I posted the last episode of the Wordslinger Podcast. I didn’t really know it would be the last episode, at the time. But 2020 changed everything for me, and not just in the ways it chang…

Join hosts JD Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including the House passing a bill that could lead to a TikTok ban, Maven's AI books that allow readers to interactively text, and how libraries are struggling to afford the demand for e-books. Then, stick around for a chat with aut…