The Proffitt Podcast
Are you thinking about starting a podcast? Launching a YouTube channel? Repurposing your old blog content into something fresh? Hi, I'm Krystal - host of "The Proffitt Podcast." And I'm happy to say you've come to the right place!
Business owners and content creators dream of building a platform where they can connect deeply with their audience, and marketing feels easy. But I also know what it's like to feel confused and overwhelmed.
Join us weekly as we strip down those processes and remove all the overwhelm with new tips, simple strategies, and great conversations with creators like you. Tune in to hear how I help creators start, launch, and market their content confidently. The motto here is, "We all have to start somewhere."
The Proffitt Podcast
Innovative Writing Tools and Techniques
What if you could transform your career and break into the writing industry? Join my chat with Barbara Richter, a seasoned expert in the writing and publishing world who turned her passion for storytelling into a thriving career. Barbara takes us on her journey from being a French teacher to becoming a sought-after ghostwriter, sharing the highs and lows of her path. We delve into her ventures, including the creation of In Ink Ghostwriting and her innovative platform, DIYbooksus, aimed at helping individuals preserve their life stories.
Get ready to learn the art of content creation from a master. In our discussion, Barbara reveals the secrets to covering familiar topics in fresh, engaging ways and the intricacies of interviewing guests with similar backgrounds. We also explore the emotional value of involving family in the editing process and the importance of knowing your strengths and preferences when collaborating on writing projects. Barbara offers practical advice for aspiring authors on organizing content and transcribing audio or video materials into compelling written works.
In the final segment, we explore the transformative impact of AI on the writing process. Barbara and I discussed how tools like ChatGPT can assist with brainstorming and content creation while maintaining a unique voice. We share tips on using AI ethically and effectively, the cognitive benefits of handwriting, and the therapeutic nature of journaling.
Plus, we touch on the importance of writing a book to build brand recognition and showcase expertise, and we share strategies for monetizing podcasts, including insights from Marsha's journey with "Candid Conversations with Marsha." Whether you're a content creator or an aspiring author, this episode is packed with actionable advice and inspiration to elevate your creative journey.
Join the Podcasters Connect™ waitlist here: https://krystalproffitt.com/podcasters-connect-waitlist/
Click the "Send Krystal a Text Message" link above to send us your questions, comments, and feedback on the show! (Pssst...we'll do giveaways in upcoming episodes so make sure you leave your name & podcast title.)
OWNR OPS PodcastStarting a business by offering a service to your local community is one of the...
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If you've been creating content for any amount of time, you may have thought I'm going to cover some topics more than once and I don't really know how to go about it in a new and fun way. Or I don't know how to interview guests that have a similar background. Or what does the interview style look like whenever you have someone come on and maybe they're covering a topic that you don't really know if it's going to fall into your audience's lap with the ease that you hope that it does? Right, that's kind of what today's episode is. I'm so excited to introduce you to Barbara Richter today, and this conversation was so much more fun than I initially thought it was going to be, because whenever she first reached out about being on the show, I was like, oh, this is great for me. Personally, I kept thinking like, ooh, I want to talk to her because I love to talk about writing and journaling and book publishing. But I wasn't 100% convinced at the initial start that this was going to be a topic that my audience was going to love. But then, when I started thinking about it and the different conversations I've had with creators, I think about content creation is just content creation. It is taking the ideas that you have in your head and releasing them in some form, whether it's through the written word, like a blog or a book, or through audio or video content, like YouTube channels and video podcasts, or just audio only podcast and so we spun this entire conversation for creators that are, just like you, interested in creating content. So, even if you don't have a desire to write a book or, you know, really do a lot more written content, this conversation was so helpful. So Barbara is a 20 year veteran of the writing and publishing world and she's the founder of In Ink Ghostwriting, a full-service ghostwriting firm, and DIYbooksus, a patent-pending, affordable online writing platform that helps people preserve their life stories. I can't wait for you to hear this full conversation.
Speaker 1:So let's get right to it. Welcome to the Profit Podcast, where we teach you how to start, launch and market your content with confidence. I'm your host, crystal Profit, and I'm so excited that you're here. Thanks for hanging out with me today, because if you've been trying to figure out the world of content creation, hanging out with me today, because if you've been trying to figure out the world of content creation, this is the show that will help be your time-saving shortcut. So let's get right to it, shall we All right Profit Podcast listeners? We have a special guest on the show today, so welcome, barbara. How are you? I'm doing great. Thank you so much for having me today on your show, crystal. I'm so excited to talk.
Speaker 2:Yes, well, I want to, are you? I'm doing great. Thank you so much for having me today on your show, crystal. I'm so excited to talk.
Speaker 1:Yes, well, I want to just start. I was telling Barbara before we started recording. I was like my audience loves behind the scenes. Can we all just? This is for the ladies. The fellas may not be able to relate to this at all, but Barbara and I were both like, okay, hang on. Is there that one stray hair that like caught up in the headphone wires or it's like getting all weird, or something like this. Does this happen to you? Because I feel like I'm always like something is out of place and I'm like we just have to roll with it sometimes.
Speaker 2:I'm still getting used to it. Yeah, absolutely. I also host a podcast and I also am still getting used to the proportions. And you know, what you think is flat is actually very, very flat. And when you think you have volume it's still flat. And, um, I think we just have to kind of accept it sometimes that everybody looks a little funky in headphones.
Speaker 1:So well, that's so funny Cause you're talking about, we were talking about. You know, you're in New York, it's like the humidity in New York and I'm like I'm in Houston and I'm like oh my gosh like if I go anywhere else, like I'm like, okay, reminder, don't go outside at all before I have to record because I will just sweat all of my makeup off.
Speaker 1:If I had any on that day and then it's like I'm red face for the rest of the afternoon and all the things. So yeah, we just wanted to share a little. You know, bts for everybody Like we see you, we hear you, we're in the struggle too.
Speaker 2:Yes, it is real, and that's why there's carrots in treatments.
Speaker 1:Yes, exactly. But, marfa, tell us a little bit about you and the space that you're in, because I think it's so unique, it's fascinating to me and I'm a longtime fan of the industry. So tell us a little bit about what you do.
Speaker 2:Ghostwriting or publishing, or both. All of the do Ghost writing or publishing or both?
Speaker 2:is the writing industry? All of the above right? Thank you, I'm so excited to be here. So I'm a ghost writer, I guess, but actually I was a French teacher way back when, like 20 years ago, and then I got into writing. And I got specifically into ghost writing because I submitted book proposals for a book, a children's book, because that's what I wanted to write, and I got rejected, rejected, rejected, rejected. And then finally an agent said it's good, but nobody knows who you are. So most people, of course, the smart people in your audience, all of them would say go build your brand, go build your authority. And I said, oh well, okay, nobody knows who I am, but maybe I could write for somebody. Everybody does know, but can't write. And so that's kind of how I got into ghost writing and I've been doing that for almost 15 years and I've got a little team here now at Indie Ghost Writing, which is nice, and people like to write their books or they need help writing their books or coaching. We're there for them.
Speaker 2:But that kind of gave birth to another company that I launched in 2023 called DIY Book, and it is. You know, the tagline is it's an affordable online writing service for people who want to write a book, specifically a life story or business book, but don't necessarily have the funds to hire a ghostwriter. Because quality writing, quality, ghostwriting quality anything tends to have a price attached to it, and I don't think that our services are expensive, but they given like the grand market of things it is, it's it's generally out of the reach or out of the realm of most people's pockets, and so for every one client I would get, I would turn away 10, and that made me really sad. So I wanted to find a way to reach those folks, and that's how this new company grew. It came about, birthed, whichever verb you want to use and it takes the tools and techniques that we use in ghostwriting and applies them in a sort of one-on-one, prompt-based setting.
Speaker 1:This is so fascinating to me. So, like I said, I'm obsessed with this industry. So a little backstory for me is I've self-published two books on my own, and one in 2017 and the other I launched in 2020. And I'm just going to tell you all the things that are probably going to make you cringe and I really haven't told too much of this story. But I'm just going to tell you all the things that are probably going to make you cringe and I really haven't told too much of this story.
Speaker 1:But I'm like the first one I wrote and then I had my my husband's grandmother and my sister-in-law. They were my editors, because I was like I don't know what the heck I'm doing and I can't afford to pay anybody to do like to help me with this. So I'm going to have them do it. And I mean my husband's grandma was like I had said do you want me to email it to you? And she was like, absolutely not. Like I want the actual printed, you know, 200 page, like whatever this thing is, you know, sent to me. And it's so special because you know we we no longer have her with us anymore, but I still have this copy. And it has so special because you know we we no longer have her with us anymore, but I still have this copy and it has.
Speaker 1:She did it all in pencil and her handwriting is gorgeous, so I'm like that's okay I'm so happy that things ended up the way that they did with that, because it's something I'll cherish forever. But my other book I did work with an editor and I feel like I did it all backwards, like I wrote the whole thing and then I handed it over to her and then it's, like you know, I was like on pins and needles waiting to get it back, Like, well, is it done? Do I need to do anything? Do I just sit here on my hands and be patient with it?
Speaker 1:And now, having done all this and I feel like made all the mistakes, the thing that I've learned and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this is it needs to be a collaboration, Like if you're working with someone. I think the way that I would prefer to do it is exactly what you're talking about, like with your DIY book is having okay, I'm going to write this and then get some feedback, or I'm going to write this and then, you know, have someone say no, no, this is like, this is the structure or a template or a layout or something. So I'd love to hear your thoughts on that and, like your perspective. Just working with other people, what works well for someone that is listening to this has never written anything. They have those aspirations, but they don't know where to start.
Speaker 2:Well, it sounds like you've had a very rich experience and you're very fortunate to have that first one from just as a family heirloom. That's just so nice. But in my experience so with ghostwriting, clients are all different and it kind of so. First of all you got to know who you are, know thyself, and then know that ghost. I think those are the two like commandments for ghostwriting.
Speaker 2:So if you're a business person, if you're an entrepreneur, if you're writing a business book, something to support your endeavors, that sort of thing, maybe you're incredibly busy running your business, which is totally understandable, and adding the writing of a book is just one more thing on your to-do list. That's where coming to a ghostwriter and saying I can't write this, we're going to have a couple interviews and you're going to take that and you're going to go turn that into something. By contrast, I've also worked with folks who said here's the draft, here's my notes, make it, make it sparkle, and and still others have said I'm going to write it, you're going to edit it and then we're going to go back and forth. So a lot of that kind of comes down to personality and how you know you work best. You knew so when you worked with. It sounds like this editor. I'm curious did you say this is how I work, or did the editor tell you this is how I work?
Speaker 1:Well, I think that it was a conversation of, like, the two options. You know it's like, okay, let's, you know, we could work collaboratively together and we could make this happen. And then I was like, oops, I didn't know what to do, so I just wrote the thing. And then I went and looked for an editor. That was the true story.
Speaker 1:It's like, oh yeah, cause I knew in my mind, I was like I didn't hire an editor, I want to hire an editor, but I didn't like go look for the puzzle pieces of how I should put this together. I just kind of made that decision of, oh, in my mind, it would be right, the whole thing from beginning to end, and then someone would make it like, zhuzh it up and make it all pretty and sound fantastic. That was probably not the right approach. I think that if I were you know, mentoring someone else, having done this, to say no, no, find someone now, because then they'll they know all the mistakes I'm sure, barbara, you could go on and on about all the mistakes that so many people do and it's like, let's like, talk about it first, even if they are going to go write the whole thing. It's like, let's talk about it first Like let's lay out a plan and then you can get started and we can get the engine running.
Speaker 2:I mean is that what you would suggest? Having a plan is always huge, but you know, conversely, some folks, just from a financial standpoint, don't necessarily want to hire somebody just to talk to them. They're like I'm just talking, it's no big deal. But even if you hire somebody for a couple of hours, if you can book blocks with them, it can provide so much clarity, especially in terms of structure or if you need time management assistance or just you need some sort of accountability. So if you're writing the book and you need check-ins, you need somebody to call you and say how's it going? I can't wait to see your draft and I have these ideas. I want to share them with you so that sometimes, just having that accountability part, I guess you have to pay for it.
Speaker 1:But it can be that motor to help you get going. Oh my gosh, and I do think about when it comes to writing it is. It's that strategic piece. Much like so many people that are listening right now and they're creating content, they need that hard deadline of when they're going to launch their podcast or when they're going to say, you know, tell people, oh, my YouTube channel is live, or you know, whatever it is, what do you think for? You know someone that's writing, or thinking about writing, cause I know there's so many people in my audience and I'm gonna call you out right now.
Speaker 1:You're hearing this and you're like, oh, she's talking right to me. They've been thinking about a book for a long time, but there's something inside of them that's like my audience isn't big enough. You know, I don't have a good enough story or I just I don't know what to do to get started. Like, they keep it's their it's on their one day list, right, one day.
Speaker 1:I will do that I know, do you have any advice for them, like just to kind of get them to kind of put some more concrete plans or ideas around their book idea.
Speaker 2:Definitely so I would say it's never too late to write your book and it's never too early to start. However, I would say that if you're still not super sure, if you have some vague notion that you want to write a book, that's fabulous. I mean, that's great and that you want to take on that endeavor is awesome. But then you do need to get a little bit specific. You need to think about who your audience is going to be, what you're writing about. You know, sometimes these books have a tendency to go in two directions. Maybe it's an entrepreneurial journey, but then you end up talking about something that happened to you 20 years ago and if you don't bring them back together, your audience is going to be confused.
Speaker 2:You, you have questions of tone, you know. Am I going to be funny? Am I going to be serious? Am I going to be sarcastic Like, and can you translate that to the page? Sometimes new authors or people who are new to writing may not pick up on the tone. I'm sure we've had this all happen, when we're sending a text message and we look at it and we say, did they mean that seriously or not? And the same thing, of course, happens on the printed page. But I would also say that writing a book is possible, and especially if you're a business owner, you're busy with your kids or whatever you're doing, you're creating content. You can do it, you can build it into your day if you are reasonable with the kind of expectations that you have and that you set those up around yourself. Like you said, if you can build it out and sort of stick with it, but also giving yourself some wiggle room and flexibility to roll with the punches, as they say, because life happens and sometimes you can't account for that.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, and I think that it's good to just have like, and this is one of those things. It feels weird to say this out loud, but it really is. The true reason why I wanted to write a book is I just wanted to see my name on a book spine Like, is that so silly? Like I feel like that was the thing that. I was like how cool would that be. And it didn't even have to be in like the Barnes and Noble or like a local bookstore. I was like what if I just printed a book and it had my name on the spine? Like what? It was like a bucket list thing for me. So is that like? Do you hear people say that or am I like the only one? No, I've definitely heard that.
Speaker 2:And that's understandable. Because and why do we feel that way when we see a name? Our name ends up on the cover of a book. Why? Because we understand that writing a book is hard.
Speaker 2:We all speak the same language or we speak different languages. Whatever it is, whatever language you're writing in writing is not the same as speaking. As you know, there's a reason why podcasts you know you are in the business that you are because it is successful and we can communicate that way and then taking it the next step is not impossible, but it can be challenging. And so, seeing that, that is just validation that you did a hard thing and, yeah, I get it, totally get it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's really funny too, you know, because when you tell people that you've written a book much like like you were just saying, like if you tell people you start a podcast, you like your friends and your family they're like, oh my gosh, I would never do that or I could never do that. That sounds impossible. And I know. Again, I feel like I'm attacking those of y'all today that have said for years that you want to publish a book. You've just been saying, yeah, that feels impossible, or that seems impossible, but I bet Barbara could give us some tips on what you could do.
Speaker 1:So let's picture the person that's listening to this who also says you know, I want to start a book. What if they have a whole catalog of content right now and it either lives in audio format or in a YouTube format and it's just. Maybe it's not inclusive of everything they would want to put into a book, maybe it's way more than that. But is there like a first step that they could take to? You know, get, get that first thing in motion. Like what would they need to do if they're listening and they're like I really think I want to do that, but I don't. I don't even know what the first step is.
Speaker 2:Well, it's actually pretty serendipitous that you mentioned that. I was just on a podcast recently with Jim James. I think it was either he was on mine or I was on his. Either way, but we were talking about turning podcasts into books. Because he has done that and he's done it with two books and it's a great way to build your authority and, to you know, synthesize your material in one place and to show the world that you actually you know what you're talking about. So that's the first thing. If you have a catalog of audio material, it's fantastic. Make sure you have a transcript, obviously, of these things. So the video is beautiful, but you definitely want to get a transcript. I think a lot of the recording, like Riverside, does an automatic transcript, so that's nice. You can have that. Get all of those, put them in a writing software platform, whatever you use. I know there's a ton. We could talk about writing platforms until the day is old, young, whatever, but get it all in there.
Speaker 2:And then you've got to decide how you're going to organize your content. Right, is it going to be by, like, for example, if you speak to people, if you have an interview, sort of back and forth series? How are you going to structure each chapter? You would assume, perhaps, that each chapter is going to be one conversation with one person, the next one is another one. But more specifically than that, are you just doing a string of conversations or is there a theme? Perhaps the first section, if you want to call it that of three or four interviews, might deal with resilience, and then the next batch of three chapters is failure. You know some sort of theme or some of the themes, the great themes that you talk about on your podcast. You want to really hammer those home in your book. So that's one thing.
Speaker 2:And then you have to decide on whether you're just going to be taking the transcripts verbatim and you're not going to change them, or are you going to create a narrative. So you know me, I like a narrative because you know I can read a transcript. That exists, but to get the author's thoughts and analysis of the conversation, I think brings something to it that you're not going to just get from the podcast. So, like, if you're trying to get a book buyer to buy the book, like, what are they getting that they can't get with the podcast? With the podcast they can see the transcript. That's cool what you're giving them in the book is that you're saying here's, here's my conversation, here's what we talked about. You pull out the great juicy quotes, you know, you include those, and then you explain why this was interesting or why this had anything to do with the narrative that you're talking about, and then you know. Then you got to write the thing.
Speaker 1:Yes, and that's when most people are like oh, you had me up until You're like oh, I'm going to write the thing I have to make it happen, like I have to actually do something with it, and I think it just comes from a place of there's so many options, right, especially for you know we're talking to those of you that have been. You know your seasoned content creators. You know that you could easily take what you have and turn it into a book. But again, I think that there's there's a piece of it that's like overwhelm, or that idea has already been done. Or you know, like, who's going to buy my book when they can buy X, y and Z authors? And I think that what's so unique about books and I'd love to hear your perspective on this is that it's not the same story for everybody, and it's why I love books.
Speaker 1:I personally love nonfiction, business development, personal development, marketing, books, like I mean I could go. Memoirs is really my sweet spot. I love a memoir and, for whatever reason, a comedy memoir is just right up my alley. Like Mindy Kaling's books are my favorite. Like those are the best memoirs I recommend to everybody. Please go read them. They're so smart, they're so funny. But I just I'm so curious, like what are your thoughts on, like whenever it comes to someone just getting stuck in that, like this, has all been done before. Why would I do that? Or it lives on my podcast. Why would I create a book?
Speaker 2:Well, that sounds kind of like imposter syndrome, right when we're, like I'm not good enough or why it already exists, I don't have to do it. But actually, to your point, we all have very different experiences with our time on Earth and we like reading about them and we like seeing people overcome things or how they deal with tragedy. These universal elements of our humanity and whether they're funny or tragic or sad or some combination therein, each one is unique. Your story, though it may be similar to somebody else, is not going to be the same and your, your takeaways right, what you've learned are going to be different. You could you could have two people have the same experience and then you say, all right, tell me what you learned, and they could have drastically different opinions on that.
Speaker 2:So that that is one thing is to just say you know what. It's okay. Also, if you're writing a business book or you're writing a how-to thing like life changes 2024 is very different than 2020. And 2020 was very different from 2006 or 2008 during the recession. You know what people needed to know or felt like they needed help with is drastically different. So things change and you can be the voice for that.
Speaker 1:I love this because, I mean, it's such a like you just hit it like right on the nose. It's like it's going to continue to evolve. So, even like a great example, a real estate book in 2005 would be drastically different than one in 2013, than one in 2024. And so it's like, even if it's the same principles that you're talking about and teaching about, the stories will change and the experiences even of you, as you know the entrepreneur, will be so different. You're going to be more experienced, you're going to have more experiences, and with that comes stories, and I just I love stories so much. It's what connects us, it's what really draws people in to being curious about. You know you as a creator, and this is actually brings like segues beautifully. This was not intentional, but I love it when that happens, because we need to talk about AI, right.
Speaker 2:Yes, we do.
Speaker 1:We need to talk about the place that AI plays into storytelling and writing, and I would just love to hear your thoughts on AI and how that works for you or your clients, or just the world of writing.
Speaker 2:We could be here for days to talk about AI, but we won't because this is a podcast with finite time and we don't want to bore your listeners. So, ai, the big elephant in the writing room. I saw a joke recently it was like a cartoon, I think, maybe it was in the New Yorker and there's two people walking and he says you know, I thought the robots would come and they would take away you know my house, cooking and cleaning and I would be free to do my writing and painting. But it turns out AI is doing the writing and painting and I'm doing the cooking and cleaning. So not what we expected, perhaps, but it wasn't, you know, unpredicted, like there.
Speaker 2:I remember working on books years ago where they said you know, the change is coming, like, get ready. And here it is. And I sort of feel like a lot of us were caught flat-footed because it just appeared in, whatever it was, november 2022, 23, whatever it was. It feels like everything has changed. I have kind of a funny side story. I used to get phone calls to my ghostwriting company all the time from college students who'd say oh my God, I have a paper due, can you do it? And I would say no, no, no, no, no, go get your F. Goodbye. The day after, after chat GPT came out, I never got another call, so we can talk about that.
Speaker 2:That's separate. People are using it, right, they are Students are using it. I have a 15 year old, so she tells me there's, you know, she's actually running a magazine and she got a piece submitted by a student and she's like she actually said you didn't write this, like you don't sound like this, this is a robot. And he said, yeah, anyway, it exists, but as a writer, as somebody like your listeners, can you use it appropriately? How do you use it? Obviously, it's shifting, and how to use it ethically and appropriately is, you know, that's its own discussion.
Speaker 2:However, I find that it is a wonderful tool. It can enhance your storytelling ability, especially if you're in a field where you're not quite sure what your story is. So it can help brainstorm ideas with you. Sit down and say, hey, chat, write me X and it will do it. You know there's a couple of things. One, we know that AI is prone to hallucinating, where it'll just say gobbledygook. We know it lies, it makes things up and it kind of has, once you've read enough, ai like just straight up programmed AI. You recognize AI Like it has sentence structures. It really likes the not only but this delve grapple.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, the unlocking and the mastering and the. Oh my gosh. Yes, sorry, but it's great for LinkedIn.
Speaker 2:It's wonderful for that sort of stuff. It's wonderful if you're writing for social media and you need keyword assistance, so that is a great tool for that. It saves like for me. It saves so much time when I'm just looking for keywords and it helps me. We'll look for them. But it cannot replace your voice, like it just can't. And it also if you're writing about yourself, if you're writing a memoir, thankfully you know it's not implanted in your brain yet so it can't access your memories. So you know you can say tell me about me. When I was this age and when I ran away from home, whatever It'll be like, I got nothing DIY book to help people who want to use AI in their writing.
Speaker 2:Because you can just go to AI I'm sure you know this. You go and you can ask it a question and it'll spit something back. But there is actually an art to creating a prompt that will generate material that is actually useful and not junky. So I'm working on those because there are going to be people who want to write a book. They sit down in front of a screen and they freeze up and even if they're working with AI, they'd be like what's the point. Why am I doing this? So, if they can use AI as a tool, that's amazing. There's also other people who find that the very act of writing itself is important, and I feel this way too. The act of writing is cathartic, whether it's published or it's something that you keep for yourself, and so to introduce AI into the mix for them, it feels like it's muddying the waters, and this, this, takes away from the experience.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I. So I'm a journaler myself and I love like a handwritten journal. I have two and I carry them with me everywhere. And my husband's like you know you could like type that. Yeah, I was going to say he's like you know you can type that right. Like you don't have to do all the things that you're doing. I still have a paper planner.
Speaker 1:Like call me old school, it's like I like the physical act of writing something down.
Speaker 1:It is cathartic, it is therapeutic for me, and I still even handwrite my emails and people are like, wait, what I'm like yes, it's the weirdest thing it's my weekly newsletters. I handwrite them first, then I, you know, zhush them up and make them all pretty and do all the things to them later. But for me, writing just has such a special place and I think that AI, to your point about being a tool, this is my favorite like, especially whenever it comes to planning. So I could imagine you, you know, for a DIY book you could have like, okay, you want to publish this book. Like when you want to publish it, like, boom, it could spit out like this is how often you have to write and how many words you should write per day and how you can make that happen, and I just love the accountability that comes with it. But oh, the lies and the delving and the diving into and the unlocking and mastering and all the things like it drives me bonkers.
Speaker 2:Well, to your point about actually handwriting like holding a pencil, there's studies that have been done that show when you hold a pencil and you write something, even if it's doodles, you're activating neurons in your brain and you're making your brain stronger. So you're actually getting smarter. When you're physically writing, that's, you don't have to actually do this. I mean even just typing. Actually I take that back. I'm not sure if it has the same benefit, but if you just doodle with your pencil it's beneficial. But if you don't want to write hand with your hand, you know pencil, paper sort of thing. Reading reading widely also activates your brain, but in book format, not on the Kindle, so that's, you know, kind of going back old school, but there's, there are studies that show that reading something on a screen is not, as doesn't activate your brain as much as reading something that you have to flip pages and things. It's not as active, go figure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love this. I love this, like the, the different formats, because it's so helpful for people that are, you know, creating content, because they're like, you know, do I do audio, do I do blogs, do I do video, and I do think that it should have that multifaceted approach and it's why I love books, you know, cause books can have that appeal, whether it's, you know, a paperback book, it's a hardcover book, it's a, you know, kindle. But what are your thoughts on audio books? Like, if someone were to go through and use DIY book, as you know, like their tool to help them, you know, create their book and get it out there, then what is that next step in your mind for getting you know, making that happen? Like, is there a different approach if someone comes to you and says, no, I just want this to be an audio book, and that's my main focus?
Speaker 2:Well, audio is totally valid and it's. That's how a lot I'm not gonna say the majority, I don't have numbers with me, but it's a significant number of readers are reading by listening to books. So it's, it's reading. You know it might be you're using your ears, but you're reading. The process is the same. You write your book and then either you're going to read it, you're going to go in a recording studio and you're going to record yourself saying your book, or you're going to hire somebody, or you're going to get AI to do it for you. So you can imagine AI is pretty inexpensive.
Speaker 2:I've played around with this. I did my voice. I don't know if you've played around with it to see how your voice sounds. I sound like flat, like I've been reborn as a zombie. I mean, it's terrible. It will change probably. I have a friend who runs his own audio book recording company, silver Hollow Audio. He's wonderful, brett Berry, oh, shout out. I asked him that question actually about why do you feel about AI in your industry, and he said it's here and it's getting better. So you know, but it's an option. It's absolutely an option, and audio books are another great way to reach people who are clearly looking for your content.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. Well, I want to go back to you know, whenever it comes to AI. So how can we use AI in helping us, even if it's not just? You know, like, let's take it like a step back from, like writing a whole book, but just writing practices in general. You know, cause my audience. They are writing newsletters, they're writing blog posts, they're writing some of the what we would call shorter form things. You know, shorter being like a thousand words or less.
Speaker 1:And that's probably not even short for a lot of people. They're like, oh my gosh, that's way too long. I'm doing like 500, you know if I can like I'm getting to that 500 word mark, but is there any best practices that you're just like? Okay, this is like must do's for someone that's just kind of tiptoeing into using AI into their writing.
Speaker 2:Well, I would say, research your LLM, your large language model, because they're not all created equal. There's. There's ChatGPT, which everybody knows. There's Gemini, which is Google's platform. There's Claude, which is supposedly the more like creative one. I think there's it's perplexity. Now there's Lexpage, which tries to bring them all in together. So, I think, going and actually being willing to play with them a little bit and say, well, is this one, is it more responsive? Is it going to have more of a creative element? Because, as we know, sometimes when AI hallucinates, sometimes it's trying to be creative. Because, as we know, sometimes when AI hallucinates, sometimes it's trying to be creative. So, I would say, do that first and play around with the various LLMs and see which one you like the best, and then approach, so, some of the LLMs. You can create prompts and then save them.
Speaker 2:There's a new company, I guess, guess, called lexpage, and what's neat about it is you can create a series of prompts that are tailored to recognize your own writing, right, so it's not going out on the internet. So you upload your writing, you save it and then you'll tell it all right, you are the author. All right, you're going to write a social media post based on this content here. Keep it X amount of words, use these hashtags, go, and as it does that, it's building a library. You're basically building a reference library in your AI. I'm not sure. No, actually, I think you can do that in ChatGPT. You can save conversations, right. So if you save a conversation I'm sure your listeners know this but if you save a conversation, you go back to it. The ChatGPT gets smarter because you're adding or you're evolving, you're giving details within that conversation. So that's another way you can train your AI to help you create content. So that's another way you can train your AI to help you create content, and that will save you time down the road when you're going to create something with one of these LLMs.
Speaker 2:And it's nice because for the short form content, where you're probably doing it a couple times a week and you don't want to sit down and say, oh my God, I have no idea what to write about, you can brainstorm ideas for content. You can put together your content planner in there. It'll help you with ideas. I will say sometimes it repeats itself, so you can't just take everything that it gives you and say, all right, I'm going to write about all these 30 things and sometimes they're super vague.
Speaker 2:That can sometimes be because of the kind of prompt that you put in, but sometimes you can put in a really specific prompt. Sometimes it's too specific and it'll say I can't help you, but you know it's going to be practice and playing and recognizing that it is. You know it's not a human, it's still a machine or a robot, whatever the heck it is, and you can use it, but you are in control. Sometimes it doesn't feel that way and it can be when it spits back something and you're like, wow, that looks like really good, polished stuff and then you actually read it and you see that it's saying the same thing in three different sentences in the same paragraph at a conference too.
Speaker 1:They were like it's not so much the power of writing as much Like that's not going to be the oh, I'm an amazing writer that people are going to walk around. They're going to say, no, no, I'm an amazing editor and I know how to like. I still use AI, I use my own content, but it's like finding that beautiful blend that still keeps it true to the message that you're trying to say but also brings in that story and human elements and maybe it's you know you use the AI to help you. Just like put that like beautiful little, like dot the dot the I's and cross the T's and make sure that everything sounds beautiful.
Speaker 2:So it's a nice efficiency and sometimes, like a lot of us writers, we're in a vacuum and it can be who do you have to go lean on or who can you go and bounce ideas off of? It's nice, you know. Yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure.
Speaker 1:Well, I have one more question for you and then I want to dive into some rapid fire questions that I have. But I want to go into people that are listening to this and they're not convinced that a book is really in it for them. You know cause? We've been kind of talking to the people that have aspirationally been thinking about a book. Like we know that they're going to figure out a way to write a book. You know, maybe in the next five years that's probably one of their big goals, maybe it's their goal this year. But then there's those people that they're just not convinced. They're not convinced that a book is right for them or for their business and they don't really see it aligning with what their goals look like long term. But is there a different approach to that? Do you have a different perspective to offer?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that there are a couple of reasons why you would want to consider if you're you, you're trying to promote your company or your entrepreneurship, anything like that for writing a book. One it establishes your authority. If you write it, you are the expert. Whether you're solving a problem, you're completing a job. When you have your name as the byline, you are showing people. I spent time putting this book together, doing the research, and I'm sharing it with you, so that's huge. If you're trying to build brand authority or to showcase your company. It also shows having something in a book that your product or service can make people's lives better or solve whatever problem that they're trying to solve. And sometimes, when you're writing a business book, two of the things that you want to focus on is identifying your customers' problems and show how your product or service can solve those problems and improve their lives. Like those. Like, if you can do those two things in your business book, you're well on your way. And it doesn't have to be long, Like people think. Oh, my God, I have to write super long 50,000 words. No, you don't, because people don't read long anymore. Yeah, you know, you'll be fine with 30,000, 40,000 words. So that's the second one.
Speaker 2:Third, I would say a physical book will elevate your authority. Like e-books are great, I think they're wonderful, they have a huge place. They're especially great for lead generation. If you have them on your website, you know they're wonderful, but actually doing a physical book as well, or if you do a physical book and then you do your Kindle, you're showing folks that I, you know, you took the time to not only write it but to get it printed, whether you did it independently or you're with a publisher, and that takes dedication. So that's you know. That kind of goes back to the first one. It elevates your authority but also your seriousness and I think, finally, having a book will increase your networking opportunities that you can connect with other professionals, industry leaders, and will just elevate your visibility even more.
Speaker 1:nothing like having a signed copy of someone's book. Like, why is that so?
Speaker 1:special, like it is so incredibly special to you're touching the hand in this and they're just like oh my gosh, this is so amazing, especially when it's like someone like I mean, I've been part of so many book launches and I just get so nerdy about it. I'm like, yes, like I want to tell everybody about this person, like I love them, they're incredible and I know this book is going to be fantastic. So if you're listening to this and you're like I just don't know, I just don't know, I can guarantee you that if you have content that's already out in the world, there's going to be people that are interested in your book. Sure, it may not be millions and millions of people, but you don't need that. Many people like to have a successful book and to put it out there. So I'm just that's my like rah-rah, like cheerleading moment of like. I believe everyone needs a book too, because it's an incredible experience and it is a life accomplishment. I put it up on the shelf as like this is really cool having done this.
Speaker 1:So, no, no, it's a huge Testament.
Speaker 2:It's a Testament that you're devoted to what you're writing about. So, yeah, and you can do it once you get going. The going will get tough sometimes, but there are ways to get through it and, um, you'll be. Generally, you're happier for it on the other side. Sometimes, in the rare cases, people aren't, but that doesn't happen too often.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, oh, barbara, we could. Just I could nerd out about 50 other questions I have about writing, but I want to get to these rapid fire questions, so I promise they will be painless. They're not going to be. They're going to be painful, famous last words. Right, but you're good with words, so you're good Like you're in good company. One is what piece of advice would you give to a brand new podcaster or a content creator?
Speaker 2:Listen widely and read widely. You can learn from everything.
Speaker 1:That's really good, I like that. The next one's a two-parter. So the first one is what is the dream podcast you would love to be on and what is the dream podcast you would love to be on and who is your dream podcast guest you would love to interview it's?
Speaker 2:hard dream podcast to be on. Well, yours, of course, um, and I think my dream guest oh boy, I think, I think would be this is going to be weird, but it's going to be Voltaire, oh, french Enlightenment author. So I was a French major in undergrad and grad school and when we read Candide, you know, when I was in 10th grade or whatever it was, I just fell in love, one with the French language, but also with his style of writing, with his philosophy and his maxims, and of course, he had to flee France and all that. So I would love to just like pick his brain, see what he thinks about 2024.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, I love that. And remind me, when did he live? He was in 1700s. The 1700s, that's what I was thinking. I was like 1500s. Felt too far back, but oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:No, that's a little. So he's pre-revolution. So he was actually born, I'm going to tell you, because, like that would be bad 17,. Oh sorry, he was born in 1694 and he died in 1778. So he actually died right before the French Revolution.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:Didn't get to see it, yeah.
Speaker 1:He was a friend of Catherine the Great. He's just. He's buried at the Pontillon Paris, which is going to be hot this summer. That's so awesome. Yes, like, what a fantastic guest. Like I mean, I would love to hear that conversation too.
Speaker 2:Oh, religious intolerance, freedom, you know, literary freedom, all of those things I mean. Some of these issues just have not gone away.
Speaker 1:No, that's what I was going to say, like what has really changed? Has anything changed?
Speaker 2:Style.
Speaker 1:Yes, we have here's electricity air conditioning, like I mean come on, cause it's going to be hot Like just come in come in for the summer and hang out, and then we'll have lots of fun and let's chat. And then my last question is do you consider yourself a perfectionist?
Speaker 2:I've tried Look, I gave myself an ulcer, so maybe. So I think with my work and with my output, like with my writing, I feel, because that is my calling card, it has to be the best it can possibly be, and that can be nerve wracking, especially when you're writing in the voice of somebody else. So for that, yes, but then I think there has to be a balance. So the rest of my life sometimes can feel a little like I've just let it go and it's just, it's really a release, it's like a mental release. So yeah, it might be why I like to run a lot too, just to let off steam.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's so good. It's so good, yes, and you are in good company. I feel like there's varying degrees of perfectionism that runs rampant among us creators, you know. But I think it's just getting past the. We just got to hit publish and move on and sometimes that's the hardest piece. Sometimes that's the hardest piece, and maybe that's why people haven't written their books yet, because they're like it's not perfect, but guess what Y'all could work with.
Speaker 1:Barbara, you could work with Barbara. You could work with Barbara. And so tell us more about you know someone's listening to this and they're like I think that you know this was the thing that I needed to hear to get going on their book, like what are the next steps?
Speaker 2:Well, if they want to write their book themselves, they don't need me, but they can come listen to my podcast, which is writing for immortality, and I have to tell you I was obsessing over launching and finally someone said just do it already. And I did, and I'm very, very happy that that person kicked my butt a little bit. So yes, crystal is right, but if you need help varying degrees of help you can come see me at diybookus. We have a seven-day free trial included. You don't need any coupon codes or anything like that. You can see how the program works, whether it's right for you, and if you decide that you want the bespoke touch, you can come see me at In Ink Ghostwriting, which is ininkghostwritingcom, and we can talk and I have a free 30-minute consultation with anybody who wants to come by and chat.
Speaker 1:Awesome and we're gonna have links to all of those in the show notes. And Barbara, this was so much fun. Thank you for coming on the show today and sharing all of your wisdom.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Thank you for having me. This was so much fun.
Speaker 1:Like I said earlier, I knew that this episode was going to surprise and delight so many of you, so I would love to know what did you think about Barbara and I's conversation? What do you think about writing and journaling and publishing? Do you have a dream to one day write a book, or do you have just this desire to have more written content in your future? We would love to know. I'd love for you to take a screenshot where you're listening to this and share it out on Instagram. Tag me, tag Barbara. Let us know what you thought about today's conversation, because we had so much fun and I just can't wait to hear more about all the things that you have, like all the questions you have about this conversation. But that's all I have for you today. So, like I said, reach out, let us know.
Speaker 1:If this is your first time tuning in, make sure you are followed or subscribed wherever you are listening to the podcast. And before we wrap up today's episode, I wanna give another fan mail. Shout out, okay, this is from the UK. All right, I, I have your name here. It's Marsha Marsha, from the UK and, uh, it says United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It's really fun how we can see, like, where you're coming from. I don't know specifically where you are, but she says hello, crystal.
Speaker 1:I enjoyed your episode today on how to monetize my podcast. I just moved from Texas to the UK and am working to monetize my podcast. My podcast is called Candid Conversations with Marsha and the focus is healing from emotional traumas. Thank you so much, marsha, for submitting your fan mail, and if you want to be featured on the show in our fan mail, shout out segments then make sure you go to your audio platform where you're listening to this, click that send crystal a text message button and send me a text message because I want to hear from you. But that's all I have for you today. So, as always, remember, keep it up. We all have to start somewhere.
