Walt Hampton is the Acquisitions Editor and Director of Marketing at Summit Press Publishing, where he reviews incoming manuscripts and helps authors do more than simply publish—he helps them get the book out into the world in a big way. Walt works with entrepreneurs and high-performing professionals to turn their books into keynotes, programs, coaching and consulting offers, and long-term marketing assets—because, as he puts it, it’s not about the book, it’s what you do with the book. In this conversation, Walt breaks down practical strategies for busy writers, including time blocking, reducing interruptions, reverse-engineering your writing sessions, and his six paths to finishing your book (from one-page-a-day all the way to ghostwriting).

In this episode:

• Walt’s dual role: acquisitions (reviewing manuscripts) + marketing (helping authors leverage the book)
• What makes Summit Press different: publishing + continued support long after launch
• Real examples of book leverage: building keynotes and high-ticket programs around the book
• Why publishing success requires long-term momentum (it’s a marathon, not a sprint)
• Time mastery for busy professionals: clarity of “why” + small consistent steps
• Time blocking: scheduling writing like client work (starting with just 1 hour/week)
• Reverse-engineering the process: define thesis/TOC/conclusion so each session has a purpose
• “Write the closing argument first”: drafting the conclusion early to create a destination
• Common time-wasters: phone proximity, alerts, and constant interruption
• Interruption science + attentional residue: why refocusing takes longer than you think
• Simple boundary systems: turning everything off + enrolling assistants/teams to protect focus time
• The “sticky note on the glass door” tactic for open-office interruptions
• Where AI helps (and where it hurts): great for brainstorming/themes + proofreading, bad for “soulless” manuscripts
• Final takeaway: begin imperfectly—editing comes later, but you can’t edit a blank page

Resources mentioned:

• Summit Press Publishers: https://summitpresspublishers.com/
• Brick by Brick
• Journeys on the Edge: Living a Life That Matters
• The Power Principles of Time Mastery: Do Less, Make More, Have Fun

Connect with Walt Hampton / Summit Press:

• Summit Press Publishers: https://summitpresspublishers.com/

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
• Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/

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Nicholas Keating-Casbarro is the author and creator of the Vitilarium Universe, a far-future sci-fi series following humanity after becoming multi-planetary. With seven books planned, Nicholas crafts character-focused stories exploring themes of power, corruption, government structure, and humanity's potential futures. A former medical professional turned author, Nicholas writes in an omniscient perspective similar to Frank Herbert's style, focusing on meaningful dialogue and immersive action scenes. He's expanded the Vitilarium world beyond books into comic book adaptations for Comic-Con audiences, working with illustrators Francisco Nilo, colorist Chandran Panusamy, and graphic designer Ahmed Gitar. Published through hybrid publisher Atmosphere Press, Nicholas maintains a massive Excel story guide tracking everything from character backstories to planetary exports across seven colonized worlds.

In this episode:

• The Vitilarium Universe: humanity's future as a multi-planetary civilization
• The Alcubierre drive: using exotic material for faster-than-light travel
• Discovering ancient alien ruins on Diorum, the seventh colonized planet
• Using conspiracy theories and "what if" questions for world-building
• Starting world-building with themes, not plot details
• Creating factions before characters (government, gangs, militias, religion)
• The Coalition for Prosperity: naming totalitarian governments ironically
• Writing the tenets of a future religion (with a no-cult disclaimer)
• The question-based method: every answer creates new questions to define
• The massive Excel story guide with unlimited tabs
• Building a survivalist protagonist who survives deadly fauna outside megacities
• Self-editing with story Bible and Book One PDF open for continuity
• Six rounds of proofreading to catch spelling and comma errors
• Working with editor John Smith to fix character motivation issues
• Maps of megacity Kairos and faction sigils for reader immersion
• Weaving world-building through character dialogue, not exposition dumps
• Treating plot holes as opportunities to add new technology or details
• Tools: Excel, Word, coffee, and nicotine (manual approach)
• Google Notebook LM: AI tool for querying your own manuscript
• Adapting books into comic series for Comic-Con crossover audience
• Working with Atmosphere Press hybrid publisher model

Resources mentioned:

• Vitilarium Series website: https://vitaleriumseries.com/
• Inside Vitilarium Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/InsideVitalerium/gift
• Atmosphere Press: https://atmospherepress.com/
• Google Notebook LM: https://notebooklm.google/

Connect with Nicholas Keating-Casbarro:

• Website: https://vitaleriumseries.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vitariumstudio/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vitarium.fb/reels/
• Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/discover/vitalerium-series-official-website

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
• Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/

Support the show

Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker and bestselling author who has sold over one million copies of her Thesaurus series, with The Emotion Thesaurus being her flagship book. Starting as critique partners on Critique Circle, Becca and co-author Angela Ackerman discovered they both struggled with showing character emotions—Becca's characters were always shrugging and shuffling their feet. This led them to create lists of emotional cues that eventually became blog posts on Writers Helping Writers, then transformed into The Emotion Thesaurus when readers demanded a book version. A former first-grade teacher, Becca brings educational expertise to her workshops and tools, now available through One Stop for Writers, a subscription-based service with character-building tools based on the Thesaurus series content.

In this episode:

• How The Emotion Thesaurus solved the "shrugging and shuffling" problem
• Why every character responds to emotions differently based on personality
• Mining movies, books, and real-life observations for authentic emotions
• Stephen King's skill at creating compelling, realistic antagonists
• The importance of wounding events from backstory shaping current behavior
• Reserved vs demonstrative: the emotional spectrum for your character
• Physical cues, internal thoughts, and visceral sensations in showing emotion
• Hidden emotions: what characters show others vs what readers see
• Emotion escalation and de-escalation to avoid jarring jumps
• Melodrama vs not enough emotion: finding the right balance
• The Emotional Wound Thesaurus for character change arcs
• The Conflict Thesaurus for plotting and creating choice opportunities
• Building characters as mixed bags of positive and negative traits
• The Fear Thesaurus (Spring 2025): how fear drives character behavior and arc
• One Stop for Writers: subscription tools based on Thesaurus content

Resources mentioned:

• Writers Helping Writers blog: writershelpingwriters.org
• One Stop for Writers (subscription service): onestopforwriters.com
• Critique Circle
• The Emotion Thesaurus by Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1475004958?&linkCode=ll1&tag=pubperf-20&linkId=400c65572fa1761b41f901ed6233057c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
• The Negative Trait Thesaurus
• The Positive Trait Thesaurus
• The Emotional Wound Thesaurus
• The Setting Thesaurus (multiple books)
• The Conflict Thesaurus (two books)
• The Fear Thesaurus (coming Spring 2025)

Connect with Becca Puglisi:

• Writers Helping Writers blog: writershelpingwriters.org
• One Stop for Writers: onestopforwriters.com

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
• Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/

Support the show

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Michael Drew is the founder of PromoteABook.com (established 25 years ago) and BookRetreat.com, with a track record of helping 132 consecutive books hit major bestseller lists including The New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Success Magazine. Starting his career at age 18 as the #3 salesperson at Executive Excellence (a division of Covey Leadership Center), Michael impressed industry leaders and landed at Bard Press by age 19, where he was tasked with understanding how bestseller lists actually work. His first campaign launched "Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads" by Roy H. Williams to #3 on The New York Times and #1 on Wall Street Journal. Today, 85% of his work focuses on building thought leadership platforms, with 110 clients permanently increasing their gross revenue by $1 million+ per year, 10 clients increasing revenue by $50 million+ per year, and 7 clients increasing revenue by $100 million+ per year through strategic book campaigns.

In this episode:

• Bestseller lists as sophisticated polls, not real sales rankings
• Only 7 of 132 bestselling clients made money from book sales
• 110 clients permanently increased revenue by $1M+ per year using their book strategically
• Brick-and-mortar stores represent 75% of book sales
• The three major lists: New York Times, USA Today, Success Magazine
• Self-publishers cannot hit major bestseller lists (distribution requirements)
• IngramSpark distribution won't work for bestseller campaigns
• Co-op fees: $1-5 per unit for retail shelf placement
• New York Times requirements: 20K print, 10K ebook, 10K through Amazon
• Online media: 350 blogs, 90 podcasts, 90 vlogs, 50K+ social engagement per platform
• Traditional media: 100 TV markets, 100 radio markets, 100 print markets
• Amazon bestseller lists have no real value
• The uncovering: two-day meeting defining outcome, measurement, strategy, tactics
• Book Retreat in Guatemala: write your book in 30 days using 64 blog posts method
• Content repurposing system: blog posts become videos, podcasts, social media, and book

Resources mentioned:

• Promote A Book: https://promoteabook.com/
• Book Retreat in Guatemala: https://bookretreat.com/
• "Secrets of the Millionaire Mind" by T. Harv Eker
• "Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads" by Roy H. Williams (Michael's first campaign)
• "Pendulum: How Past Generations Shape Our Present and Predict Our Future" (co-authored with Roy Williams)
• "Nuts: Southwest Airlines Crazy Recipe for Success" published by Bard Press
• KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)
• IngramSpark

Connect with Michael Drew:

• Email: michael@promotabook.com

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

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Amy Suto is a seven-figure freelance writer, memoir ghostwriter, bestselling author, and founder of the top Substack newsletter Make Writing Your Job. Starting as a Hollywood TV writer working for minimum wage as an assistant, Amy discovered that freelancing could outpace traditional entertainment industry earnings. She's flown to countries like Austria to work with clients on their memoirs, ghostwritten for Olympians and NBA players, and built a thriving writing business with three income pillars: self-publishing, paid newsletters, and freelance writing. Her upcoming book Write for Money and Power (launching January 12, 2026) provides the mindset operating system writers need to build six and seven-figure writing careers.

In this episode:

• Rejecting the starving artist myth and rewriting limited beliefs about writer income
• The three-pillar system: self-publishing, paid newsletters, and freelancing
• Why freelancing with multiple clients is more secure than one full-time job
• Escaping 10 cents per word work by pricing for outcomes instead of effort
• How copywriting jobs paying $8,000/month are dominating Make Writing Your Job
• Why memoir ghostwriting is the highest-paying freelance niche
• Getting flown to Austria to interview clients and capture their life stories
• The mindset shift that lets you quote rates without fear
• Negotiating triple client budgets by educating them on writing value
• Why Anthropic hiring writers proves AI can't replace storytelling
• Using ChatGPT for research, text-to-speech dictation, and routine work
• Google Notebook LM for querying your own novel content
• Substack's unique organic traffic and onboarding flow advantages
• Putting up paywalls early to trigger Substack's promotional algorithm
• Emailing only free subscribers with upgrade sequences and discounts
• How all three pillars dovetail: Substack becomes portfolio and book content
• The 12-month roadmap to earning seven figures with three writing pillars
• Systems that let you take six weeks off while your business runs
• Pre-order benefits including founding memberships and Notion templates

Resources mentioned:

• Make Writing Your Job Substack: https://www.makewritingyourjob.com/
• Amy Suto's personal Substack: https://www.sutoscience.com/
• Write for Money and Power by Amy Suto (pre-order at amysuto.com/power)
• ChatGPT
• Google Notebook LM
• Upwork for early freelancing
• Substack Notes (Twitter-like feature)

Book Recommendations:

• Write for Money and Power by Amy Suto (releasing January 12, 2026)

Connect with Amy Suto:

• Website: https://www.amysuto.com/
• Make Writing Your Job Substack: https://www.makewritingyourjob.com/
• Personal Substack: https://www.sutoscience.com/
• Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sutoscience
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/sutoscience
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/sutoscience
• Pre-order book with benefits: amysuto.com/power

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
• Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/

Support the show

Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/

Dave King is a professional fiction editor with over 35 years of experience and co-author of the bestselling writing manual Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, which has sold over 200,000 copies and been adopted as a textbook worldwide. With translations into Italian, Taiwanese, Japanese, and Korean, the book maintains its position in Amazon's top 10 fiction writing manuals. Dave apprenticed under Renni Browne, a former editor for William Morrow and Stein and Day, learning the craft through hands-on manuscript work. Today, he helps authors at all levels refine their manuscripts through his unique 50-page collaborative editing process that trains writers to become their own best editors.

In this episode:

• 30-year backlist bestseller adopted as textbook, 6,000-7,000 copies annually
• Philosophy degree to glass grinding plant to professional editor
• Apprenticeship as the only way to learn editing
• 50-page back-and-forth collaborative editing technique
• Copy editing vs. mechanical vs. creative editing
• Point of view as the #1 issue in manuscripts
• The cottage cheese test for character perspective
• The dialogue voice test for distinct character voices
• Why writers as beta readers can be dangerous
• Diagnostic reading report at $2 per page before detailed editing
• More forgiving of narrative summary in sci-fi and historical fiction
• How J.K. Rowling broke all the rules but created effective world-building
• Real editing transformation: changing the ending with the supportive boss
• Finish your manuscript before hiring an editor
• ING phrases and subordinate clauses that weaken writing
• Multiple beta readers agreeing means pay attention
• Fourth-Ringing Tonguishness: Anglo-Saxon vs. Latinate words
• Hitting manuscripts with fresh eyes like a reader would

Resources mentioned:

• Writer Unboxed: Archive of Dave King's editing articles
• Notable article: "Fourth-Ringing Tonguishness" (on Anglo-Saxon vs. Latinate language)
• Paul Anderson's analog magazine essay (1980s) on translating atomic physics into Anglo-Saxon equivalents

Book Recommendations:

• Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060545690?&linkCode=ll1&tag=pubperf-20&linkId=400c65572fa1761b41f901ed6233057c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

Connect with Dave King:

• Website: www.davekingedits.com
• Editing services and consultation information available on website
• Article archive with topical index available under "Advice" section
• Diagnostic reading reports: $2 per page (250 words per page)

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
• Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/

Support the show

Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/

Louise Harris is the founder and president of Last Research and Editing, a comprehensive editing service specializing in both fiction and nonfiction books. With a journalism degree from the University of Maryland, Louise discovered early in her career that she's better at editing others' work than writing her own—a realization that shaped her 20+ year editing career. Known for her old-school approach of printing manuscripts and using colored pens (green at Christmas, pink at Easter), Louise provides everything from developmental editing and book coaching to copy editing, line editing, proofreading, and her unique book compilation service that transforms blog posts into published books.

In this episode:

• Types of editing: developmental, copy, line, proofreading
• Developmental editors as writing coaches
• When to hire editors at each stage
• Plot holes: the invisible man's clothes problem
• Why printing manuscripts catches more errors
• Flow from sentence to chapter to book
• The fluff problem: cutting unnecessary content
• Nonfiction editing for business and political books
• American English style guides (AP vs. Chicago)
• Customized packages for different author needs
• Free first chapter editing to test compatibility
• Self-editing tips: print and read aloud
• Grammarly limitations and computer errors
• Why AI writing sounds corporate
• Blog compilation service explained
• Anthology compilation for associations
• Upwork and Fiverr budget options
• Why you shouldn't give editors first drafts

Resources mentioned:

• LAST Research and Editing: https://lastresearchandediting.com/
• Grammarly: https://www.grammarly.com/
• Chicago Manual of Style: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/
• Associated Press Style Guide: https://www.apstylebook.com/
• Print editing techniques

Book recommendations:

• Oh, The Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss: https://denuccio.net/ohplaces.html

Connect with Louise:

• Website: https://lastresearchandediting.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-harris-2b04bb13/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/louise.harris.7315/
• LAST Research FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/lastresearch/
• YouTube: @LouiseHarrisTheLASTWord
• Twitter: @lastredit
• Phone: 480-370-3945
• Alignable: https://www.alignable.com/hanover-md/last-research-and-editing-2

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
• Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw

Support the show

Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/

Lucy McCarraher is the founder of Rethink Press (a hybrid publisher specializing in business books) and BookMagic AI (an AI-assisted writing platform). Over 12 years, she has mentored over 2,000 entrepreneurs and business leaders through the book-writing process, making her the UK's most experienced business book mentor. Lucy's background spans theatre publishing in Australia, creating "video books" with celebrities like Prue Leith and Alan Titchmarsh, and pioneering work-life balance consulting. She has authored 13 books herself and developed a systematic process for helping non-writers transform their expertise into published books. Her philosophy: books should be "undercover sales agents," not marketing brochures—providing real value while building authority and credibility.

In this episode:

• The three P's: person, pain, promise positioning
• BookMagic AI's values exercise starting point
• Breaking writing into discrete, manageable stages
• Why AI shouldn't generate your actual book content
• Copyright concerns with AI-generated text
• Using AI for research and ideas, not writing
• The one-hour-early writing habit strategy
• Dictation feature for non-writers and dyslexic authors
• Planning every topic before you start writing
• Writing to one ideal reader, not a crowd
• AI-generated blog posts and social media content
• Why publishers reject AI-generated manuscripts
• Hybrid publishing vs. DIY self-publishing costs
• Distribution beyond Amazon KDP
• Multiple formats don't reduce sales
• Future features: end-to-end publishing in-app

Resources mentioned:

• Book Magic AI: https://bookmagic.ai/
• Rethink Press: http://www.rethinkpress.com/
• KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing): https://kdp.amazon.com/
• Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/
• Key Person of Influence: https://www.keypersonofinfluence.com/

Book recommendations:

• The Authority Gap by Mary Ann Sieghart: https://www.amazon.com/Authority-Gap-women-still-seriously/dp/0857527568

Connect with Lucy:

• Get your Free Trial for Book Magic AI: https://bookmagic.ai/
• Rethink Press: http://www.rethinkpress.com/
• Personal Website: https://www.lucymccarraher.com/
• Linkedin: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/lucymccarraher

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
• Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/

Support the show

Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/