The Profitable Writer

Kent Sanders

The Profitable Writer Podcast helps you create more impact and income with a writing business. Episodes features interviews with guest experts as well as content to help you grow your business, become more productive, and make a bigger difference in the world. Learn more at TheProfitableWriter.com. 

  1. Reimagining the 1980s with Arcade Orchestra | Jim Daneker

    18/12/2025

    Reimagining the 1980s with Arcade Orchestra | Jim Daneker

    I was born in 1974 and you’ve heard me talk about my love of 80s music before. And why not? The 80s, in my humble opinion, was simply the greatest decade in American culture as far as the amount and quality of music created. That’s why I’m excited to bring you this exceptionally fun and inspiring conversation with Jim Daneker. Jim is an award-winning and Billboard-charting composer and producer who specializes in the bold, evocative, and memorable. In addition to 27 years as keyboardist, musical director, and producer for CCM icon Michael W. Smith, Jim has enjoyed a diverse musical career. He has produced albums, created a virtual instrument series called Backstage Pass, and arranged and written music for film. His film music work includes trailers for Hollywood blockbusters such as The Fast and The Furious franchise, Transformers 2, The Chronicles of Narnia, and several Disney projects. After two decades of serving other artists, Jim took two years to pursue his dream of scoring a cinematic instrumental album, called AD ALTA, which was released in 2017. In 2018, Jim produced another Billboard #1 album, this time for quadruple #1 artist Paul Cardall—an album that had the unprecedented distinction of debuting on nine charts simultaneously and won a Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year. In February 2023, Jim announced his retirement from touring and the launch of a lifetime dream project called Arcade Orchestra, which reimagines the biggest hits of the 80s in an epic live show. In this conversation, we dive into all things Arcade Orchestra. He shares his vision for AO, why the 80s were such an incredible decade for music and movies, what is was like to transition away from a steady music gig into building his own thing, and much more. In addition to being a very fun conversation about all things 80s, this is going to especially inspire you if you have been focusing exclusively on client work and have been dreaming of putting yourself out there in the spotlight more. I should note that Jim was very kind in opening up his home, near Nashville, to me for an in-person interview! It was so much fun to see his studio setup. To find out more about Jim and Arcade Orchestra, make sure to visit https://jimdaneker.com and https://arcadeorchestra.com.

    1hr 43min
  2. Build Your Network with WriterFest Nashville | Ami McConnell

    17/12/2025

    Build Your Network with WriterFest Nashville | Ami McConnell

    I’ve always operated on the assumption that most of my listeners are introverts. If you don’t think of yourself as an introvert, that doesn’t make you less of a writer, of course. But I do believe most writers feel they get their energy from being alone, and that most of the time, being around people drains them. I certainly relate to that! Which is probably why I’m a full-time writer instead of some other job that requires me to spend time with people all day. One of the dilemmas you have to face as an introverted writer is knowing how to navigate conferences. While we recognize the immense value of conferences and events for learning our craft and building relationships, we also have to figure out how to be involved without completely draining ourselves. That’s why I’m excited to bring you this conversation with Ami McConnell, who runs WriterFest, a conference for writers in Nashville each November. Ami joins me to chat about what makes WriterFest unique, how to get the most out of it, how to navigate events as an introvert, and much more. Although WriterFest has already happened in 2025, I want to give you a heads up to make plans and attend WriterFest in 2026. Make sure to get on the mailing list for WriterFest so you’re notified about updates. You can do so by visiting https://writerfestnashville.com. Before we get into the conversation, let me tell you a bit about Ami, who in addition to being the Founder and President of WriterFest Nashville, is also the Founder and President of Ami McConnell Literary Agency. Ami is an author, writer, and editor with over twenty years of experience in-house at major trade book publishers. Having edited numerous New York Times bestsellers and award winners, she now works with authors of all stripes to create bestselling books. She’s a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller who has collaborated with singers, songwriters, psychologists, doctors, therapists, film and TV actors, and artists. Ami also serves on the board of Women’s National Book Association/Nashville Chapter and lives in the Nashville area with her family. You can find out more about Ami by visiting her website, https://amimcconnell.com, and the WriterFest site at https://writerfestnashville.com.

    42 min
  3. Grow Your Writing Business with Gotham Ghostwriters | Dan Gerstein

    16/12/2025

    Grow Your Writing Business with Gotham Ghostwriters | Dan Gerstein

    Today I’m bringing you an interview that will absolutely help you grow your impact and income, particularly if you’re a ghostwriter. You’ve probably heard of Gotham Ghostwriters, a New York City ghostwriting agency. It’s headed up CEO Dan Gerstein, who is a nationally recognized political writer, communications strategist, and idea man. He’s been writing professionally for more than thirty years. Gotham Ghostwriters has seen incredible growth in recent years, and I had the pleasure of talking to Dan about Gotham, as well as their annual event, Gathering of the Ghosts. This year’s event was recently held in NYC, and next year’s event is sure to be even bigger. Gotham also recently released a fantastic resource for ghostwriters—a course titled Ghostmasters 101: How to Break into the Business of Ghostwriting. And if you’re interested in joining the Gotham Ghostwriters network, you can find more info about how to do that on the Gotham website. In this conversation with Dan, we dive into all of these topics and much more. If you’re currently ghostwriting, you’ll find a lot to chew on here. And if you’re looking for a way to make extra income with your writing skills, or even build a robust full-time career as a ghostwriter just like I’ve done, this conversation will inspire and empower you to take the next steps. You can find out more about Gotham Ghostwriters and all it has to offer by visiting https://gothamghostwriters.com.

    42 min

About

The Profitable Writer Podcast helps you create more impact and income with a writing business. Episodes features interviews with guest experts as well as content to help you grow your business, become more productive, and make a bigger difference in the world. Learn more at TheProfitableWriter.com.