Episode 042 /  Science fiction and fantasy author and co-host of the Six Figure Authors podcast, Joseph Lallo joins us to talk about the advantages of planning when it comes to writing books as well as in promotion and marketing. We also delve into how Jo’s prep for NaNoWriMo has changed over the years, his tips for writing short stories, how he commissions art, and his advice on the transition from the day job to full-time writer. Come over and say hi to Jami and Sara in the WIKT Facebook group! You can find show notes and links at wishidknownforwriters.com. Interview with Sara Rosett and Tonya Kappes for Authors A.I. First Draft Friday Jump Start Your Cozy Free Mini-Course In this podcast episode, you’ll discover: Why Jo wishes he’d known how to outline at the beginning of his career and how he learned to outline How Jo’s prep for NaNo has changed over the years Jo’s maintenance advertising strategy Why rejections from agents and editors aren’t always a good measure of an authors’ ability to write or a book’s appeal to readers  How Jo’s “mistake” of writing a book that seemed to fit the steampunk tropes but was a little off in some critical details actually turned out to be a good thing Jo deconstructs why one of his releases didn’t do as well as he hoped, even though he did all the “right” things (write to the tropes, rapid release into KU, and run an ad campaign) Jo’s advice on writing short stories: Uses “orphaned ideas” file for starting points Can be all premise  Start in the middle How Jo uses short stories in his marketing: Patreon Turns longer ones into novellas Bundles into anthologies either for sale or as newsletter signup bundle bonus Tips for commissioning art and how Jo uses it for marketing Jo’s advice for writers who plan to transition from the day job to a full-time author Make a financial plans that includes boom years as well as slim years Link your transition to full time to the launch of a new book or series and let readers know about the transition Create a release calendar and check future release dates for real-world events, such as elections   Genres discussed include science fiction and fantasy, steampunk, and urban fantasy. Links:  Jo’s website: BookofDeacon.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrlallo Six Figure Authors The Big List of Craft and marketing books mentioned on WIKT podcast episodes