Slinger News for 18 February 2015

February has been an interesting month, with all the contacts made and the projects that have come my way. I've met some incredibly fascinating people—many of whom I've had the absolute honor to interview for the Wordslinger Podcast! Here are some episodes that are coming up over the next few weeks:

Upcoming Wordslinger Interviews

Vic Mignogna — Vic is a good friend of mine from way back. You might know him as the voice of Edward Elric on Cartoon Network's "Full Metal Alchemist." Or you might know him from his hundreds of voice acting roles in animation and video games. But these days, many people know him as Captain Kirk, from the phenomenal web-based fan series Star Trek Continues. If you're a fan of the original series, or just curious about the passion that goes into creating a fan series, don't miss this episode!

Johnny B Truant — Thousands of people listen to Johnny B Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright on the Self Publishing Podcast every week. These guys have produced millions of words, in bestselling books that dominate in both fiction and non-fiction. Johnny is a principal part of the group's growth and success, churning out ~8-10K words per day in a process that he and his partners keep refining over time. Johnny talks about the success of their publishing empire, the value of the podcast, and his love of the audience. This interview has some solid, practical advice for anyone looking to get into the book business.

Tara Jacobsen — Marketing genius extraordinaire Tara Jacobsen has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs (including this Wordslinger!) to find focus for their business, define their audience, and build a strategy for continued and phenomenal success. This interview has some seriously solid and practical steps for marketing your own authority business and reaching a bigger audience than you might have thought possible. Definitely do not miss.

Francesca HogiFrancesca was a contestant on TV's "Survivor" for two different seasons. And on both, she was the first to be eliminated from the challenge! But she's moved on from that in a big way, and grown into a career that proves she's more than just a survivor—she's winning at life. Francesca now coaches people in life and love, helping them find their own strengths, shore up their weaknesses, and build a life for themselves that makes them happy. I talk to Francesca about her business, and what it takes to be a matchmaker and then a coach and consultant. 

Joseph Michael — Joseph is best known as the Scrivener Coach. He's built a career out of teaching people how to use Scrivener to make their dreams of writing into a hyper-organized reality. Now he's teaching people how to create authority businesses of their own, and he joins me to talk about his career path and his philosophy. We get lots of practical insight in this one!

A New Focus on Authority Business

You may notice that the Wordslinger Podcast has become a lot more focused on authority businesses lately. And that's by design. The more I work with entrepreneurs and professionals in my consulting work, the more I recognize the need for education and guidance for people who want to create their own authority business.

Consultants, coaches, keynote speakers, authors—anyone who makes their living with their expertise is in this industry. I've shifted the focus of my creative agency and my publishing imprint—Happy Pants Creative and Happy Pants Books—to provide author services to people creating or trying to grow authority businesses. I've also shifted my own consulting and speaking work to aim squarely at this audience. The Wordslinger Podcast is just one more branch for reaching out to educate, inform, inspire, and (hopefully) entertain this audience!

If you have ever dreamt of being an author or consultant or any form of authority, in business for yourself and deciding your own career path, feel free to contact me and set up a chat. I'd love to help! I offer paid consulting on building and growing an authority business (including becoming an author), and I'm always happy to just chat about your goals and dreams, and offer some free advice when I can.

Chat with you soon, Slinger!