thewritingcoach's podcast

Welcome to The Writing Coach. On this podcast, author Kevin T. Johns speaks with the instructors, editors, coaches, and mentors that help writers and authors create their art, build their audience, and sell their work.

thewritingcoach's podcast is a arts podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 100 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts thewritingcoach's podcast, a arts show with 100 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #231

  Book Marketing Is a Long Game: Passion, Positioning, and Podcasting with Susan Friedman – The Writing Coach Ep. 231

  Aug 16, 202649 minS1

  Today on the show, I'm welcoming back book marketing strategist and veteran podcaster Susan Friedman , 10 years after her first appearance on this podcast. Susan has hosted over 500 episodes of Book Marketing Mentors and has spent decades helping nonfiction authors turn their books into authority, speaking opportunities, and real business results. In this conversation, we talk about why book marketing is a long game , how fiction and nonfiction are "two different animals" when it comes to promotion, and why so many authors would rather hide behind social media than have real, high-impact conversations. We also dig into the importance of niching down , embracing your expertise, and choosing marketing methods you actually enjoy so you'll stick with them. If you've ever wondered whether it's worth marketing a low-profit book when you could be selling higher-ticket offers—or how long you really need to keep marketing your book, this episode is for you. Check it out now:

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #230

  From Editor to Novelist: Candice Johnson on Copyediting, Revisions, and the Author–Editor Relationship – The Writing Coach Ep. 229

  Aug 7, 202652 minS1

  On today's episode of The Writing Coach I'm joined by someone who has spent decades on the front lines of publishing, helping writers turn rough drafts into real, reader-ready books. Candice Johnson is a long-time editor, now a first-time novelist, with deep experience in traditional publishing and years of success as a freelance editor working primarily with indie authors. In our conversation, Candice pulls back the curtain on how traditional publishing really works, what editors are actually looking for in a manuscript, and why it's so important for writers to remember that publishing is, at its core, a business. We talk about the realities of slush piles, the search for that "magical breakout book," and how the industry's upheaval around 2008 pushed many editors (and ultimately, the entire editor/writing-coach ecosystem) into the freelance world. We also dig into what a copy editor really does and how that role often blurs into other kinds of editing when you're working independently with authors. Candice shares what makes for a healthy, productive author–editor relationship, why some writers resist revision, and how to know when your manuscript is truly ready to send to an editor. If you've ever worried an editor will "steal your voice" or "rewrite your book," this episode will give you a much calmer and much more accurate picture of how good editors really work. Finally, we explore Candice's own transition from editor to novelist: the challenges of "taking off the editor hat," drafting without over-editing every sentence, and embracing revision as a vital, creative stage rather than a punishment. Along the way, you'll hear practical advice on feedback, critique partners, page counts, and why doing the best you can before you hire an editor can save you a lot of money and heartache. If you've ever wondered what your editor is really thinking when they open your manuscript for the first time or how to become the kind of author editors love to work with, this episode is for you. Listen now!

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #227

  Emil Wilson on Memory, Family, and Graphic Storytelling – The Writing Coach Ep. 229

  Jul 31, 202644 minS1

  In this episode of The Writing Coach podcast, I sit down with Emil Wilson to talk about how a former advertising and design professional who didn't grow up reading comics ended up creating The Nightingales , a genre-blurring work that feels part graphic novel, part literary memoir, and part sketchbook of memory itself. We dig into the book's bold formal choices (no panels, mixed media, pages that feel torn from a working artist's notebook) and how those decisions grew directly out of the question, "What does memory actually look like on the page?" We also explore how Emil's background in marketing and visual communication shaped this approach to storytelling: the discipline of doing "a lot of work in a little space," the difference between illustration and true comics storytelling, and the way composition, color, and even blank space can deliver an emotional punch to readers. Along the way, Emil shares candidly about caring for a sick parent, working as a buddy during the AIDS crisis, and transforming deeply personal, semi-autobiographical material into a story that still protects their own interior life. If you're interested in graphic storytelling, blending memoir with fiction, or simply writing about family, grief, identity, and kindness in a way that feels honest rather than exploitative, this conversation is for you. Check it out now:

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #228

  Flow States, Dopamine Management, and Beating Procrastination with Oscar-Winning Producer Stephen Puri – The Writing Coach Ep. 228

  Jul 24, 202653 minS1

  Welcome to The Writing Coach Podcast, the show where I talk to the people whose job it is to help writers actually get the work done, including coaches, editors, marketing experts, and the folks building the tools behind the craft. I'm your host, Kevin Johns. Today's guest, Steven Puri, spent years as a studio executive at Fox and DreamWorks, producing digital effects on around fourteen films, working alongside James Cameron, David Fincher, and Mel Gibson, and picking up an Academy Award along the way for Independence Day . But somewhere in there, he got tired of sequels and spinoffs and walked away from film entirely to solve a different problem: why smart, talented people, including him, still can't get out of their own way when it's time to sit down and create. That led him to build Sukha , a tool designed around flow states, to help writers and other creators beat procrastination and distraction and actually finish the thing they set out to make. We get into what he learned in the room with some of Hollywood's best storytellers, why "hustle culture" isn't the same thing as doing great work, what flow state really is and how to get into one on command, and how any of us, whether we're writing a novel or just trying to finish that blog post, can stop waiting for inspiration and start doing the work. Check it out now!

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #234

  Susan Leon on Crime Fiction, Forgiveness, and the Ripple Effects of Loss – The Writing Coach Ep. 227

  Jul 3, 202645 minS1

  Today on The Writing Coach podcast, I'm joined by author Susan Leon to discuss her debut novel, If They'd Only Known . Susan's book is a dark, emotionally layered crime novel set in Northern Ontario, exploring the ripple effects of a child abduction and murder across a family, a community, and the decades that follow. But while the book uses the shape of a crime story, our conversation goes much deeper than plot. We talk about: grief, trauma, forgiveness, acceptance, and what it means to write dark material from a place of wisdom rather than despair. Susan shares how her own life experiences shaped the emotional heart of the book, how real conversations with detectives, veterans, and families touched by loss informed her research, and why she believes forgiveness is not about excusing harm, but about freeing yourself from the weight of carrying it. We also get into the writing journey itself: learning how to structure a novel after years of collecting scenes, discovering which character's story she was really telling, navigating historical research, working with beta readers, and finding community through writing programs and fellow authors. This is a conversation about crime fiction, yes, but it's also about the power of stories to help us process pain, make meaning, and maybe even move forward. Check it out now.

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on thewritingcoach's podcast. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.