SFFMP 205: Writing for Star Wars, Podcasting, Patreon, and if Awards Help with Marketing
Our guest for this week’s show is long-time podcaster and slightly less long-time science fiction and fantasy author Mur Lafferty. She is the author of the Nebula and Hugo-nominated Six Wakes, The Shambling Guides, and I Should Be Writing: A Writer’s Workshop. Her most recent publication is Solo, the Star Wars movie adaptation, which we asked her all about during the interview. She also hosts the popular I Should Be Writing and Ditch Diggers podcasts (the latter is about the publishing industry, not actual ditch digging, FYI!).
Here are some of the specifics that we discussed:
- How Mur got started in podcasting in the early days and created audio versions of some of her fiction.
- Whether she’s an outliner or a pantser.
- How the Forest app (here’s the link) helps her avoid distractions.
- Talking money, agents, experiences with publishers, and the stuff that doesn’t always get mentioned on her Ditch Diggers podcast.
- Getting involved on Patreon as a podcaster and a writer.
- Finding the right rewards for Patreon subscribers of different levels.
- A reminder that it’s tough to make any headway on Patreon or Kickstarter without an existing fanbase.
- How Mur got involved in the Star Wars universe and landed the Solo gig.
- The process of writing a novelization of a movie for Star Wars.
- Whether the pay for movie-tie-in stuff is comparable to a regular traditional publishing deal.
- How publishers and agents look to see if you have an established platform and following before taking you on as an author.
- A reminder that the publishing industry is quite small and that the professionals all know each other, so it’s important to be courteous on social media and at conventions.
- Which social media platforms Mur likes for marketing.
- Some of the numerous awards she has received and been nominated for and whether they’re helping to sell books.
- How authors can use podcasting for marketing.
Don’t forget to visit Mur on her website and follow her on Twitter.
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Great episode. I loved Mur’s story in the From a Certain Point of View anthology.
Question to the hosts, have you guys every considered starting a Patreon? Either to offer maybe a bonus Q&A episode or just to let us support you guys! Your podcast is a weekly must-listen and I would love to be able to support the show.
Hey, Jon! Thanks for listening and for the Patreon suggestion. If we went pro like that, we’d actually have to edit the shows and get real mics! 😀 Since Jo and I both have Patreon accounts for other stuff, it might be tough too. It sounded like you can only have one Patreon at a time. Jeff would have to do it, haha.
Haha! Then Jeff will have to step up. You could also add a tip jar to the website that takes donations via Paypal.