Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark Leslie Lefebvre
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Perspectives and reflections on the writing and publishing life. Mark Leslie Lefebvre, a writer, bookseller, digital publishing advocate, professional speaker, and publishing consultant explores inclusive and collaborative opportunities for writers and book publishing professionals via interviews, discussions, and reflections about the industry. (Mark's personal website is www.markleslie.ca)

  1. 5D AGO

    Finding Surprising Success Publishing Kids' Books with Darcy Pattison

    Mark interviews award-winning author Darcy Pattison about publishing childrens' books. In their conversation, Mark and Darcy talk about: Darcy's background on getting into being an author of children's book The 70 books Darcy has written in the past 13 years The number of different illustrators Darcy has worked with over the years The Moments in Science picture books Darcy has written with along with the specific illustrator who has worked on a dozen of those titles with her The books for authors Darcy is releasing in January 2026 that collect details about the current state of publishing for children's books The challenge of doing layout for a children's picture book The importance of an author being clear on their own definition of success How children's book authors can find the right illustrator and/or designer How Darcy fulfills orders online for her books Getting her books into education distributors (Follett, etc - Follett can order their books through Ingram) The EPIC app and how Darcy earns money from it The various reviews Darcy gets, including paid Kirkus reviews (which are important) Who you are writing for versus who you are selling to when it comes to kids books Fiction VS Non-Fiction The importance/difference of being good at illustration versus being good at text (or even layout) The challenge of scaling up things like school visits The benefit of finding places that will sell a kids' book in bulk And more... After the interview Mark reflects on the unique element of the two audiences for childrens' books, as well as the efficient business mind-set Darcy adopted in her approach to how to grow a more scaleable author business. Links of Interest: Indie Kids Books  Mims House Books  Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! S*****r Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

    49 min

  2. JAN 5

    Celebrating Eight Years, 452 Episodes and One Simple Truth

    Mark reflects on the anniversary of the first episode of this podcast, which took place on Jan 5, 2018. Links of Interest: EP 001 - New Year, New Reflections Substack Article: Eight Years, 452 Episodes, and One Simple Truth Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! S*****r Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

    21 min

  3. JAN 2

    Accounting for Murphy's Law when Setting Realistic Goals

    In this solo episode Mark outlines a dozen tips to consider when setting realistic goals. Links of Interest: EP 451 - Tales from the Backburnder: A Pair of Messages to Readers Draft2Digital Self Publishing Insiders - Jan 1, 2026 Episode (YouTube) Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! S*****r Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

    45 min

  4. 12/26/2025

    EP 451 - Messages to Readers

    In this solo episode Mark shares a couple of recent messages to readers in the hopes that it inspired other authors with ideas of the types of things that their readers might find interesting. The two examples are: 1) Mark's introduction to his recent collection of stupid dad jokes (and how that can tie to the use of making the local community the "hero" or "focus" 2) Mark's recent author newsletter with a gift for readers and the story that updates recent changes to an ongoing series he's writing Links of Interest: Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

    34 min

  5. 12/19/2025

    The Life of a Mercenary Writer with Jarrett Mazza

    Mark interviews Jarrett Mazza about his action/thriller novels and his mercenary-style approach to writing. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report. In their interview, Mark and Jarrett talk about: Jarrett's origins and how he got into writing Starting off writing comic books and short stories How Jarrett considers himself a "mercenary" writer Jarrett's love of fiction within the action genre Getting in contact with action/thriller writers that Jarrett enjoyed Being published by Rough Edges Press and the changes Jarrett rode when they got bought by another publisher Writing every day even if there's nothing to write about Jarrett's early AM morning writing routine before the work day begins The Doormen series and what it's about (Roadhouse meets John Wick) Jarrett's interest in tackling and creating elevated action narratives Roadhouse 1989 VS Roadhouse 2024 Advice Jarrett would give writers What Jarrett is working on now And more... After the interview Mark reflects on Jarrett's dedication and commitment to writing, and also some of the advice that he shared.   Links of Interest: Jarrett Mazza's Website EP 449 - The Myth of "Upload Your Book And They Will Come" EP 448 - When Your Writing Gets Rejected "A Gazillion" Times Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

    55 min

  6. 12/15/2025

    The Myth of "Upload Your Book And They Will Come"

    In this solo episode, Mark reads from an article that he recently shared on the Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing Substack page. This is be Part 2 of a two-part series of episodes. (See Part 1) Prior to the main content of this episode, Mark shares a personal update, comments from  recent episodes, and a word from this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by The 7 P's of Publishing Success by Mark Leslie Lefebvre, which you can download in eBook and/or Audiobook format for free at this link. Links of Interest: Article: The Myth of "Upload Your Book And They Will Come": Why PATIENCE AND PRACTICE matter just as much for self-published authors Article: When Your Writing Gets Rejected "A Gazillion" Times: Why PATIENCE and PRACTICE are two of the hallmarks of publishing success EP 446 - The Future of Hybrid Publishing with J.D. Barker EP 445 - Overcoming The Self Sabotage From Buried Trauma with Andrea Torrey Balsara Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! S*****r Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

    47 min

  7. 12/12/2025

    When Your Writing Gets Rejected A Gazillion Times

    In this solo episode, Mark reads from an article that he recently shared on the Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing Substack page. This will be Part 1 of a two-part series of episodes. Prior to the main content of this episode, Mark shares a personal update, a comment from a recent episode, and a word from this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by The 7 P's of Publishing Success by Mark Leslie Lefebvre, which you can download in eBook and/or Audiobook format for free at this link. Links of Interest: Article: When Your Writing Gets Rejected "A Gazillion" Times: Why PATIENCE and PRACTICE are two of the hallmarks of publishing success EP 445 - Overcoming The Self Sabotage From Buried Trauma with Andrea Torrey Balsara Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

    29 min

  8. 12/05/2025

    The Future of Hybrid Publishing with J.D. Barker

    Mark interviews J.D. Barker about his writing and publishing journey and his many collaborations over the years, including with James Patterson, and the unique publishing and distribution collaboration with Simon & Schuster that combines the best of the self-publishing and the traditional publishing worlds. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update and a word about this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK10 at checkout and save 10% off your own personalized report. In their interview, Mark and J.D. talk about: How JD was always interested in writing including a little business endeavor he had when he was youngBeing told by his mother that writing is a fantastic hobby, but you have to get a "real job" - and following her advice The main day job he had, which he hated, and coming home at night to write How the first two decades he'd been writing he did ghost writing and did book-doctor sort of work Having written six different books that hit the New York Times bestseller list but had other people's names on the cover JD's wife coming up with a plan to get him to writing for himself How putting his feet to the coals was what JD really needed What it was like writing on his own The value that JD recognizes in the 20 years of writing other peoples' books Having Asperger's which often involves mimicking other people (which JD could do on paper, continuing to write in another person's voice) How ghostwriting for celebrities/NYT Bestselling authors can be very lucrative What it was like co-authoring with James Patterson Being the only guy who has ever gotten James Patterson to "pants" a novel, but how Patterson convinced him to outline, which he now does for certain projects What a typical work-day looks like for JD Making a change in terms of what time of day JD does interviews Working with a virtual assistant and the various PR agencies JD works with Switching over to paying for PR a la carte rather than a monthly retainer Selling more than half a million copies of his first self-published book, which caught the attention of agents That "taste" of being an indie author which mean a loss of freedom Creating his own unique path within publishing that's a blend of self-publishing and traditional publishing models The imprint JD has with Simon & Schuster - Hampton Creek Press How JD has done a number of recent co-authored titles under his imprint by paying the co-authors up front in a work-for-hire manner, which removes the complexity of paying royalties The way JD can pay it forward by helping the mentor the co-authors that he is working on Why JD gave away a skid of hardcover books at Reader Nation in Vegas Advice JD has about authors who are constantly "chasing each other" The unique marketing JD created for his book SOMETHING I KEEP UPSTAIRS that involved an overnight stay in a real haunted house What James Patterson did to get his book ALONG CAME A SPIDER onto the New York Times bestseller list And more... After the interview Mark reflects on a few of the things from the conversation that have inspired him in different ways.   Links of Interest: J.D. Barker's Website EP 445 - Overcoming The Self Sabotage From Buried Trauma with Andrea Torrey Balsara Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link - use MARK10 to save 10%) Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections Mark's YouTube channel ElevenLabs (AI Voice Generation - Affiliate link) Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! S*****r Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation I Think It's A Sign That The Pun Also Rises   J.D. Barker (Jonathan Dylan Barker) is an international bestselling American author whose work has been broadly described as suspense thrillers, often incorporating elements of horror, crime, mystery, science fiction, and the supernatural.   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast ("Laser Groove") was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

    57 min
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About

Perspectives and reflections on the writing and publishing life. Mark Leslie Lefebvre, a writer, bookseller, digital publishing advocate, professional speaker, and publishing consultant explores inclusive and collaborative opportunities for writers and book publishing professionals via interviews, discussions, and reflections about the industry. (Mark's personal website is www.markleslie.ca)

Information

  • Creator
    Mark Leslie Lefebvre
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    455
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Public License
  • Show Website
    Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

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