[Tim Grahl] In which we answer, "How can I write better?"

Bleeding Ink

Don’t let Tim Grahl’s boyish smile and kind exterior fool you. He is relentless. Sure, relentlessly helpful, but too when attacking insurmountable goals. He orchestrates ruthless plans, beats down the door of the finest mentors, lays bare his flaws for critique and finds every shortcut to wrangle success in the shortest possible time. At his core Tim is an artisan blend of marketer and scientist—and damn good ones at that.

We need more Tims in the book-selling world.

Full disclosure: I work with Tim on my own book launches and author platform. I turn to him for advice. You can thank Tim for this very podcast—it was his suggestion. His counsel continues to deliver and its only limitation is in how I perform it, not in the guidance itself. He’s helped a milieu of best-selling authors—Hugh Howey, Chip and Dan Heath, Michael Moss, Charles Duhigg and Daniel Pink to name some notable characters—and what’s worked for them will work for you.

Tim’s book Your First 1000 Copies should live on every author’s bookshelf. His new podcast The Story Grid with Shawn Coyne should be queued on every writer’s audio player. This man is abound with content that will help you sell more books, connect with a larger audience and write better.

Snippets

• How Tim got his start helping authors become best-sellers
• What’s a good size for a mailing list?
• How Tim’s new podcast The Story Grid can change your writing
• Why social media is a terrible marketing vehicle
• How to define marketing (hint: it’s not icky)
• The top 3 takeaways from Tim’s Your First 1000 Copies
• Why mailing lists are the best way to engage with your audience
• Tim’s new author programs and how they can help you
• How to start and grow an email list
• Why long-form blog posts (over 3000 words) is most effective
• How appearing on podcasts can launch your writing career
• What to do with your 70,000+ email followers, once you have them
• Learn about Tim’s foray into writing fiction
• How to shortcut going from a crap writer to a great writer
• Why Tim’s new podcast The Story Grid can help you write better
• Tim’s one secret to his success
• How Tim bares it all on his new podcast
• What Shawn Coyne’s book The Story Grid is about
• How Tim is growing as a fiction writer and how you can learn from his painful journey

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