Join host Adrian M. Gibson and guest authors Bryce O’Connor, Ben Galley and J.D.L. Rosell for our final Indie Appreciation Month panel on Crowdfunding & Special Editions. During the panel, Bryce, Ben and Josiah discuss what crowdfunding and special editions are, crowdfunding platforms, increased demand for special editions, the collector’s mindset, types of crowdfunding projects, the FOMO effect for authors and readers, whether or not authors should run a campaign, crowdfunding risks, product options, rewards and backer tiers, funding goals and budgeting your project, marketing your campaign, production and fulfillment, mentally preparing yourself for a campaign, campaign length, the mid-campaign plateau and more.
Masterclass
SFF Addicts Ep. 212: Self-Publishing in the Age of AI with Chris McGrath, Gregory Kontaxis & Michael Vadney (Indie Appreciation Month)
Join host M.J. Kuhn, guest artist Chris McGrath and guest authors Gregory Kontaxis and Michael Vadney for an Indie Appreciation Month panel on Self-Publishing in the Age of AI. During the panel, Chris, Gregory and Michael discuss the ethics of AI use, whether or not we can avoid it, the deluge of AI slop, risking your reputation, prejudices against self-publishing, filtering AI vs. human-made content, cover art and working with human artists, originality and the value of human-created art, audience (dis)trust and fan backlash to AI, the performative pressures of social media, losing the struggles (and romance) of art, how AI impacts marketing/marketplaces and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 211: Making the Most of Conventions with Andy Peloquin, Tim Hickson & T. D. Orel (Indie Appreciation Month)
Join host Greta Kelly and guest authors/content creators Andy Peloquin, Tim Hickson (AKA Hello Future Me) and T. D. Orel for an Indie Appreciation Month panel on Making the Most of Conventions. During the panel, Andy, Tim and Tanner discuss first conventions, attending cons as a fan vs. as a professional, when to start attending conventions, selling books at cons and events, merch and swag, sales tactics and connecting with readers, pitching your books, imposter syndrome and social anxiety, making meaningful connections, balancing the professional and the personal, stepping outside of your comfort zone, trusting your instincts and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 210: Cover Art & Book Design with Jeff Brown, Rachel St Clair, Philip C. Quaintrell & Scott Palmer (Indie Appreciation Month)
Join host Adrian M. Gibson and guest authors/artists Jeff Brown, Rachel St Clair, Philip C. Quaintrell and Scott Palmer for an Indie Appreciation Month panel on Cover Art & Book Design. During the panel, Jeff, Rachel, Philip and Scott discuss what cover and book design are, creating a visual brand, the importance of typography and fonts, interior formatting and design, what makes a good vs. bad piece of art, due diligence and art/design no-nos, cover legibility and visual impact, evolving cover trends, setting reader expectations, commissioning artists, book titles, costs/budgeting, communication, timelines and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 209: Portal Fantasies with Seanan McGuire & Micaiah Johnson (Masterclass Panel)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and Greta Kelly for a masterclass panel on Portal Fantasies, featuring guest authors Seanan McGuire and Micaiah Johnson. During the panel, they open the door to portal fantasies, discussing what a portal fantasy is, the appeal of this subgenre, fundamental elements of portal fantasies, age markets and genre fatigue, portal sci-fi and secondary worlds, who has access to portals, establishing the rules of your portal, differentiating the “real” world and the “other” world(s), revealing the “new” of the portal world to readers, reflecting our own world through alternate worlds and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 208: Incorporating Music into SFF with Peter Orullian (Writing Masterclass)
Join host Adrian M. Gibson as he delves into a writing masterclass on Incorporating Music into SFF with author/musician Peter Orullian. During the episode, Peter strikes a narrative chord, discussing the intersection of music and storytelling, novelizing concept albums for bands, lyricism and the musicality of prose, copyright and including songs or lyrics in a story, adding music/songs to audiobooks, writing characters who ARE musicians, music in our world vs. secondary worlds, musical magic systems and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 206: The Art of the Short Story with Isabel J. Kim (Writing Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson & Greta Kelly as they delve into a writing masterclass on The Art of the Short Story with award-winning author Isabel J. Kim. During the episode, Isabel gets to the short of it, discussing what a short story is, examples of masterful short stories, short fiction as a testing ground, comparing short-form vs. long-form fiction, approaching theme, plot and structure in short stories, characterization/worldbuilding in a condensed word count, conciseness and pacing, editing and trimming stories down, selling your short stories on the professional market, the role of short story collections and anthologies and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 204: Drawing from Global History with Shannon Chakraborty (Writing Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson & Greta Kelly as they delve into a writing masterclass on Drawing from Global History with bestselling author Shannon Chakraborty. During the episode, Shannon traverses the world, discussing global interconnectedness across time, using SFF to shine a light on history, deciding on a historical time/place for your story, knowing when to deviate from history, author responsibility and intentions, accessible approaches for research, historical authenticity, academics/historians and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 203: Shannon Chakraborty talks The Tapestry of Fate, Older Protagonists, Found Family & More
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson & Greta Kelly as they chat with bestselling author Shannon Chakraborty about her new novel The Tapestry of Fate, writing a more mature, middle-aged protagonist in The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi series, portraying motherhood on the page, blood family vs. found family, Middle Eastern poisoners and demons, balancing science with the occult, writing complex antagonists, the value of day jobs, breaking into publishing and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 202: Writing for the Reader Experience with Sunyi Dean (Writing Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson, M.J. Kuhn & Greta Kelly as they delve into a writing masterclass on Writing for the Reader Experience with bestselling author Sunyi Dean. During the episode, Sunyi caters to the reader, discussing why authors should consider the reader experience, putting yourself in the “beginner’s mindset,” offering value to the reader, promises and hooking them from the outset, delivering information at the right time, simple vs. complex prose, writing for yourself vs. the reader, author voice, revision and more.
SFF Addicts 200th Episode *LIVE* Q&A SPECIAL with H. M. Long, Evan Leikam & Krystle Matar
SFF Addicts podcast has reached a huge milestone: 200 episodes!!! To celebrate, co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson, M.J. Kuhn & Greta Kelly recorded a LIVE FAN Q&A, answering questions from our beloved audience alongside special guests/friends of the show H. M. Long, Evan Leikam & Krystle Matar. During the episode, they delve into all kinds of topics, including our podcasting journey, the ups and downs of writing, fictional worlds we’d want to live, book recommendations for non-readers, our favorite sandwiches and so much more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 199: Publishing in Different Genres with Ai Jiang (Writing Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson & Greta Kelly as they delve into a writing masterclass on Publishing in Different Genres with award-winning author Ai Jiang. During the episode, Ai breaks down the fundamentals of genre, including genre trends in publishing, building a career across multiple genres, genre expectations and targeting audiences, chasing genre trends, self-publishing and short stories as genre testing grounds, the viability of specific genres with agents and editors, the benefits and challenges of genre-blending and more.