Podcasts by The Story Studio Podcast - Writing, Storytelling, and Marketing Advice for Writers
Stories turn songs into symphonies, events into memories, and lives into legends. In our crowded world, “knowing your story” cuts through the noise so you can make your mark — whether you want to sell more books, increase profits, or just make a difference. At Sterling
Further podcasts by Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David Wright
Podcast on the topic Bücher
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State of the Industry: Patterns and Lessons from 2021-01-20T12:32
It’s a wrap! Season 1: State of the Industry is done. After interviewing some truly stellar guests with their fingers on the pulse of what’s going on in all different […]
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State of the Industry with Craig Martell from 2021-01-13T05:00
“There’s never been a better time to be an indie author,” Craig Martell says on this episode of the Story Studio Podcast. Craig Martell runs the 20 Books to 50K […]
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State of the Industry with Erin Wright on Apple from 2021-01-06T05:00
Erin Wright is a contemporary western romance author who also runs the fantastic online/Facebook Group called Wide For The Win. Erin was initially invited onto the podcast in place of […]
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State of the Industry with Mark Lefebvre from Draft2Digital from 2020-12-16T05:00
When the guys first met Mark Leslie Lefevbre, they got to know him as Mark Kobo, because he was working for Kobo back then. Now Mark works for Draft2Digital, through […]
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State of The Industry with Andre Chaperon and Shawn Twing from 2020-12-09T05:00
Andre Chaperon and Shawn Twing are writing and business partners. Together they run a website called Tiny Little Businesses (which you can find at https://tinylittlebusinesses.com). Sean first foun...
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State of the Industry with Damon Courtney from Bookfunnel from 2020-12-02T05:00
Once upon a time, there was a fiction writer who wanted to send a free copy of his book to his mom. But he didn’t want her to have to […]
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State of The Industry with Will Dages from Findaway Voices from 2020-11-25T05:00
It’s no secret that the audiobook segment of the publishing industry has been growing in recent years. In the last 9 months of stay-at-home orders and quarantines, people have been […]
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State of The Industry with Jane Friedman from 2020-11-18T05:00
Sean has known Jane Friedman since before the beginning, way back when Yesterday’s Gone was just the seed of an idea and he approached her to talk about a series […]
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State of The Industry with Dave Chesson from Kindlepreneur from 2020-11-11T05:00
In today’s episode, the guys talk to Dave Chesson, founder of Kindlepreneur.com, a website devoted to teaching advanced book marketing. His tactics and insights help both Fiction and Nonficti...
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State of The Industry with Alex Newton from K-Lytics from 2020-11-04T05:00
As powerful people are so fond of saying, “Knowledge is Power” and in the world of ebook publishing, Alex Newton’s K-Lytics is a powerful thing. Knowing the real numbers about [&#...
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State of the Industry with Becca Syme from 2020-10-28T05:00
Knowing what to quit doing can be just as important as knowing what to do. Sean and Johnny first encountered Becca Syme through her book, Dear Writer, You need to […]
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State of the Industry with Mark Dawson and James Blatch from 2020-10-21T05:00
In today’s episode, the guys sit down with their old friends Mark Dawson and James Blatch to check in on what they’ve been doing and what they see coming in […]
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State of the Industry with Michael Anderle from 2020-10-14T05:00
State of the Industry with Michael Anderle The Guys first met Michael Anderle right at the start of his journey in Self-Publishing. He had the (dubious) pleasure of riding in […]
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State of The Industry with Joanna Penn from 2020-10-07T05:00
Joanna Penn is a North Star in the Self-Publishing Industry. She is someone who was already there when the guys first got started, and most people think of them as […]
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Welcome To The State of The Industry from 2020-09-30T05:00
Welcome to The Story Studio Podcast Season 1: The State of the Industry. Yes, after 131 episodes of The Story Studio Podcast, the show is finally transitioning from Season 0 […]
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SSP131 Big Changes Coming from 2020-09-23T05:00
In today’s episode, the guys, along with Bonnie and Niamh, talk about the big changes coming to the Story Studio Podcast in the coming weeks. This episode is the last […]
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SSP130 How To Write Anything with Sean from 2020-09-16T05:00
Out of everyone in the story studio, Sean is probably the most versatile author who can dexterously turn his hand from one genre and form to another quickly and with […]
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SSP129 Pantsing Complex Plots with Johnny from 2020-09-09T05:00
Johnny B Truant writes complex stories. Stories with plots that tend to branch out and get more complex by the chapter and book throughout a series. If you’ve read Invasion, […]
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SSP128 Raising Tension with Dave from 2020-09-02T05:00
If you’ve ever read a David Wright story, you’ve experienced narrative tension. But how does Dave do it so well? And how does he crank it up a notch higher […]
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SSP127 Creating Culture with Vered from 2020-08-26T05:00
Worldbuilding is about building both the hardware and software that supports a story. Culture is the software. How we interact with the hardware, how we view it and use it, […]
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SSP126 Commercialism and Trends with Niamh from 2020-08-19T05:00
When the critics can’t stop talking about something, and people can’t stop talking about it too, you hit that sweet spot we all look for in terms of finding ways […]
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SSP125 Evolving Writing Process with Ninie from 2020-08-12T05:00
Ninie Hammon wrote in the newspaper world for 25 years before she started writing novels. When she started writing novels, 12-13 years ago, she never thought about the process. She […]
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SSP124 Making a Living as an Artist with Eileen from 2020-08-05T05:00
In today’s episode of The Story Studio Podcast, the guys talk with Eileen Rose who is a member of the Sterling and Stone Story Studio. Before Eileen joined the Story […]
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SSP123 Idea Parkour with Joel from 2020-07-22T05:00
Different people come up with ideas and brainstorm in different ways. In the Sterling & Stone Story Studio, all of the authors bring stories to the table to brainstorm at […]
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SSP122 The Guys Watch: Doctor Sleep from 2020-07-15T05:00
On today’s episode, the guys talk about watching the movie Doctor Sleep and the Shining franchise. They have a lot to say about movie adaptations from books, about one book […]
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SSP121 The Guys Discuss: Darlings We’ve Murdered from 2020-07-08T05:00
We’ve all heard from writing classes and craft books that we need to murder our darlings. In today’s episode, the guys discuss the darlings they’ve murdered both for themselves an...
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SSP 120 The Guys Discuss: What We’ve Learned So Far in 2020 from 2020-07-01T05:00
We are living in a Black Mirror episode. Dave always was living in a Black Mirror episode, but 2020 is the year the rest of the world joined him there. […]
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SSP119 The Guys Discuss: How To Watch and Read Like A Writer from 2020-06-24T05:00
In today’s episode, Johnny and Dave switch roles. Dave is excitedly working on his new project in the Yesterday’s Gone universe, and Johnny wishes an asteroid would hit the earth […]
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SSP118 The Guys Discuss: Collaboration with J. Thorn from 2020-06-17T17:00
In today’s episode, Dave reveals his plans for any physical fights he may or may not have in the future and how he will make sure that whoever he battles […]
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SSP117 Making a Living Writing with Rachael Herron from 2020-06-10T05:00
Being a writer requires doing the seriously hard work of writing. But making a living writing requires more. In today’s episode, Rachael Herron talks about all the different income streams [&...
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SSP116 The Guys Watch: The Godfather from 2020-06-03T18:55
In today’s episode of The Story Studio Podcast Sean and Johnny rewatched The Godfather and Dave watched it for the first time and asked some great questions of each other. […]
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SSP115 The Guys Discuss: Avoiding Burnout from 2020-05-27T18:02
Getting to do what you love for a living is pretty incredible. But when you are building your author career through writing and releasing books in series, there is a […]
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SSP114 The Guys Discuss: When a Story Gets Stuck from 2020-05-20T05:15
Ever have a story get stuck? There are a few different ways in which this can happen. Sometimes a story gets mechanically stuck where you’ve written your way into some […]
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SSP113 The Guys Discuss: Building Worlds Together from 2020-05-13T05:00
Have you ever wanted to collaborate with another author or multiple authors to build a fictional world where you can come together to create extraordinary stories? More inputs mean more […]
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SSP112 Characterization Hacks with Bonnie Part 2 from 2020-05-06T05:00
In today’s episode, Sean and Johnny continue the conversation with Bonnie about Characterization Hacks. They talk about commercial characters, over-the-top superman characters, supermen with ...
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SSP111 The Guys Discuss: Balancing Structure&Creativity from 2020-04-29T05:00
Creating outlines and beats can keep you moving by always knowing what’s next when a pure pantser might have to stop and figure out what happens. But sometimes too much […]
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SSP110 Characterization Hacks with Bonnie from 2020-04-22T05:00
People don’t fall in love with plots, devices, and settings. At least most people don’t. When someone falls in love with a book or a story, most often they are […]
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SSP109 The Guys Watch: The Watchmen Part 2 from 2020-04-15T17:00
In last week’s episode, The Guys Watch: The Watchmen Part 1, the guys and the Story Studio discussed The Watchmen. They went into all kinds of detail about what worked […]
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SSP108 The Guys Watch: The Watchmen Part 1 from 2020-04-08T17:00
On today’s episode, most of the Sterling & Stone Story Studio appears along with the guys to discuss The Watchmen. The whole studio watched it together and in this, part […]
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SSP107 The Guys Discuss: Battling Resistance from 2020-04-01T05:00
In The War of Art, Steven Pressfield personifies Resistance as an almost corporeal being of sorts, something that must be faced, battled, and defeated and a daily basis in order […]
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SSP106 The Guys Discuss: Our Favorite Tools from 2020-03-25T05:00
What are the tools you love and use every day to help you do all the things you need to get done? The guys share a few of their favorites […]
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SSP105 The Guys Discuss: If We New Then… from 2020-03-18T05:00
If we only knew then what we know now. The guys insist that they don’t legitimately have regrets, but if they had a time machine and could go back to […]
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SSP104 The Guys Talk: Writing and Marketing with Jeff Haskell from 2020-03-11T05:00
In today’s episode, the guys talk with Jeff Haskell, an author they met at S3, the Story Shop Summit in Austin, Tx. Jeff writes Superhero science fiction, a little bit […]
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SSP103 The Guys Answer: Anthologies and Serials from 2020-03-04T07:00
On today’s episode, the guys answer listener questions about anthologies and serials. Anthologies are collections of works (stories, poems, or episodes) that each stand on their own but may s...
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SSP102 The Guys Watch Being John Malkovich (SPOILERS!) from 2020-02-26T08:03
In today’s episode, the guys talk about watching Being John Malkovich. Spoiler Alert: Be warned, if you haven’t seen it yet, this episode may very well spoil it for you. […]
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SSP101 The Guys Discuss When Life Gets In The Way from 2020-02-19T12:42
It’s difficult to create great work when your confidence gets rocked or when your emotional self is in turmoil. There are so many things that can put a kink in […]
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SSP100 The Guys Discuss: What We’ve Stopped Doing from 2020-02-12T05:00
Episode 100! A milestone indeed. The guys have hit it several times on past podcasts like The Self-Publishing Podcast and others and joke that they often end up changing the […]
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SSP099 The Guys Discuss: Serial Fiction from 2020-02-05T09:59
Dave always loved Green Mile by Stephen King and really wanted to do something serial-based. In 2008 Available Darkness was the first thing Dave and Sean serialized on their website. […]
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SSP098 The Guys Try: Productivity Techniques from 2020-01-29T22:23:43
What productivity systems and techniques work best for creatives and specifically writers? The Story Studio Podcast wanted to find out. On today’s episode Dave, Sean, and Johnny try out three [R...
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SSP097 Writing For Television with Jono Matt from 2020-01-22T09:00
Jono Matt is a writer in LA and the scrappiest MF Johnny has ever met. Recently, Jessie Cole came on the show to talk about Savana Bananas, the sitcom that […]
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SSP096 The Guys Discuss: Binge Culture for Storytellers from 2020-01-15T13:17:29
Once upon a time, if you wanted to binge-watch your favorite show, you had to record each episode from TV and wait to save up all the episodes so you […]
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SSP095 Sterling and Stone 2019 Year-in-Review from 2019-12-25T09:00:38
It’s our final podcast of 2019, and we’re feeling a lot of gratitude as we wrap up the year to spend time with our families. This year has been a […]
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SSP094 Savannah Bananas pt. 2 with Jesse Cole from 2019-12-18T09:00:48
In the first Savannah Bananas episode, we had the pleasure of explaining what the Savannah Bananas is and how we got involved with the team. Today, we’re joined by Jesse […]
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SSP093 The Fiction Formula Launch Party from 2019-12-11T09:00
Stop us if you’ve heard this one: we finally released the sequel to Write. Publish. Repeat. It’s called The Fiction Formula! Some of you are probably scratching your heads and […]
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SSP092 Our First Stories from 2019-12-04T09:00
No matter how successful you are as a storyteller, you have to start somewhere. There’s always a story number one. Today, we talk about our very explorations into storytelling, what […]
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SSP091 Analyzing You Were Never Really Here (SPOILERS!) from 2019-11-27T09:00
SPOILER ALERT! Today, we’re discussing You Were Never Really Here directed by Lynne Ramsay, starring Joaquin Phoenix, and based on a novella by Jonathan Ames. We discuss the story’s premise, […]
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SSP090 Savannah Bananas from 2019-11-20T09:00
Because of the Great Amazon Algorithm War, we often have to self-sensor ourselves, and not talk about the fiction projects we’re developing publically. It’s not because we’re precious with our [...
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SSP089 Analyzing Living With Yourself (SPOILERS!) from 2019-11-13T09:00:34
SPOILER ALERT! In today’s episode, we about the Netflix show Living With Yourself (https://www.netflix.com/title/80178724). We discuss the story’s premise, its ending, and our thoughts on the chara...
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SSP088 Steal This with Bonnie and Joel from 2019-11-06T09:00:56
Out of the madness of our story studio emerged an idea that we think those of you who take part in NaNoWriMo will appreciate: a universal outline we’re calling the […]
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SSP087 Idea Generation with Neeve from 2019-10-30T11:00:34
Ideas are spooky. Where do they even come from? And what happens if they disappear forever? These questions have plagued creatives for years and has created a culture of self-limitation […]
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SSP086 Who’s The Main Character? from 2019-10-23T05:00:10
A few weeks ago, we had an interesting discussion in the company when we tried to identify a movie with a true dual-protagonist setup. We came up with one (maybe […]
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SSP085 The Matrix Story Breakdown from 2019-10-16T01:00:39
There’s one film that we (and most of you will too) agree is one of the most important to SciFi storytelling and the film industry: The Matrix. On today’s podcast, […]
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SSP084 The Author Hustle with Shaunta Grimes from 2019-10-09T08:00:52
We’ve been around the indie publishing block a time or two and we’re not going to sugarcoat it. It’s hard. You’ll probably want to quit, and you might not see […]
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SSP083 Continuous Evolution from 2019-10-02T07:00:17
Indie publishing changes fast. Even after a decade, there are weekly changes in the market, forcing you to pivot or crash into the next algorithmic wall. But there’s a line […]
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SSP082 Writing While Old(er) with Ninie from 2019-09-25T07:00:51
We’ve heard dozens of different stories (lies, usually) that authors tell themselves as reasons they can’t start their writing journey. One of the most common is “I’m too old now.” […]
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SSP081 Writing Routines from 2019-09-18T12:00:20
Our creative routines cover the gamut in our studio, proving there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to how to be a productive storyteller. But there are general guidelines to becoming a productive [...
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SSP080 Joel F*cks the Details from 2019-09-11T09:00:16
Joel was one of the first authors that Sterling and Stone brought into the fold after we decided to open up the studio to other authors outside of our trio, […]
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SSP079 Celebrating Your Accomplishments from 2019-09-04T09:00
In indie publishing, there’s a tendency to rapid churn. Once one book is out to the races, the next one immediately begins. This is a pace that Sterling and Stone […]
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SSP078 Planning and Thinking Ahead from 2019-08-21T11:00:39
Scheduling can be a logistical nightmare, especially when planning for a creative endeavor. And it’s no different in our story studio. For years, we’ve struggled with creating a schedule that [R...
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SSP077 The Stone Tablets and a Return to Non-Fiction from 2019-08-14T09:00:46
We owe a lot of our growth to our community (that’s you!), and we’re eternally grateful for your support and enthusiasm. In return, we spent several years building The Smarter […]
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SSP076 Join The Story with Austin from StoryShop from 2019-08-07T09:00:24
*TRIGGER WARNING: This episode refers to recent mass shootings. If you’re still in mourning, you may want to skip this one.* There’s a lot of pain and division in the […]
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SSP075 Story Inspiration from 2019-07-31T09:00:46
“Where do you get your ideas?” It’s a question that every author gets asked at least once in their career. And the true answer is never satisfying to the untrained […]
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SSP074 Story Research from 2019-07-24T09:00
Almost literally, Sterling and Stone is a house built on research… or the lack thereof. In part, our collaboration started because of a research roadblock, a dare, and putting a […]
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SSP073 Vacations for Creatives from 2019-07-17T11:00:12
Vacations are an opportunity to rest and refresh. But when you’re a storyteller with certain habits, a vacation can throw off your entire groove. In today’s episode, we talk about […]
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SSP072 The Story Solution from 2019-07-10T11:00:07
We just released The Story Solution. It’s our first new non-fiction book in a long time and marks a new generation of non-fiction under the Stone Table imprint. In The […]
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SSP071 Reboots from 2019-07-03T09:00:24
Like them or not, reboots happen. Whether it’s an excellent remake of a Stephen King story or an excuse to cast Will Smith as a friendly genie, Hollywood loves re-imagining […]
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SSP070 Listening to Your Instincts with Vered Ehsani from 2019-06-26T09:00:14
Vered Ehsani radiates passion and energy. From the time we met her, we knew she was special. She traveled from Nairobi, Kenya to our events multiple times to learn how […]
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SSP069 2019 Q2 Story Studio Check-in from 2019-06-19T09:00:36
It’s been six months since our last big check in with the state of affairs at our Story Studio. Since last October, we’ve hit publish again and again, ramping up […]
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SSP068 Doing the Work with Jamie Davis from 2019-06-12T09:00:20
One of our favorite and hardest working author friends is Jamie Davis. Throughout the time we’ve known him, he’s always held true to the work ethic of the 21st century […]
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SSP067 Rebuilding StoryShop pt. 2 with David Brown from 2019-06-05T11:00:57
In SSP057, we talked about rebuilding StoryShop and why it became a necessary step in order for it to become the app we envision. StoryShop is continuing to iterate forward […]
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SSP066 Elements of a Successful Sitcom from 2019-05-29T09:00:45
When we first began writing adaptations for our novels, we had to learn a whole new set of rules that govern the visual medium. Since then, we’ve also transitioned into […]
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SSP065 How We've Evolved as Writers This Year from 2019-05-22T12:00:36
Last year, we had a problem. Well, we had multiple problems. Johnny was suffering from burnout. Sean wasn’t drafting as much as he wanted. And Dave had just emerged from […]
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SSP064 Meaningful Connections with Chris Plough from 2019-05-15T09:00:15
When we met Chris Plough, we knew we had to get him on the show to talk with us, and now that the show is live again, we thought it […]
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SSP063 Writing As Therapy from 2019-05-08T09:00:34
We tell stories as our full-time job, and while we have a responsibility to the company and our family to produce words that sell, there are reasons for us to […]
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SSP062 The Stone Table: Phase 2 with Neeve Silver from 2019-05-01T09:00:38
“We change the world with story” is a phrase we’ve used over and over, and while we believed that this was our trajectory as a company, we’ve struggled to actualize […]
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SSP061 The Stone Table: Reimagined with Neeve Silver from 2019-04-24T11:30:32
Closing down the Smarter Artist part of Sterling and Stone was bittersweet for us. We have a desire to teach, but the transactional nature of the Smarter Artist brand leeched […]
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SSP060 Sean Goes to Prison from 2019-04-17T09:00:57
The creative mind is mysterious. As storytellers, we build entire worlds and shape unforgettable characters. But when asked where we get our ideas, it’s often difficult to pin down one […]
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SSP059 Mystery Box Storytelling from 2019-04-10T09:00:53
During one of our recent company meetings, Sean asked the team “how many people know what Mystery Box Storytelling is?” To our surprise, not every hand went up. If several […]
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SSP058 Teaching an Old Dave New Tricks from 2019-04-03T11:00:13
As we prepare our novels for new storytelling mediums, it has forced us to revisit stories that are years old. And if you’ve ever gone back to read your older […]
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SSP057 Rebuilding StoryShop from 2019-03-27T11:30:45
A few years ago, we had the vision to build a tool that would become the ultimate collaborative storytelling workspace. We created a kickstarter that got fully funded, partnered with […]
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SSP056 SAS 2019 Recap from 2019-03-20T09:00:52
The Smarter Artist Summit has been our “new year” for a long time now. It has been an opportunity for us to connect with creators in our community and learn […]
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SSP055 Turning Pro (SAS2019 Live Podcast) from 2019-03-13T10:00:36
At our final Smarter Artist Summit, we focused on the idea of “turning pro,” and how authors today can build a sustainable career. We share how Dave has evolved since […]
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SSP054 Habit Hacking from 2019-03-06T10:00:58
The most important part of achieving a goal is not at all sexy. It’s the process—the system you follow day in and day out that results in success. The best […]
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SSP053 The Art of the Pitch from 2019-02-27T10:00:18
A year ago, we met Derek Frederickson & Fat Vampire got optioned. Since then, we’ve visited LA three times now and have made some serious steps into film & TV. […]
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SSP052 The Forgotten Gems from 2019-02-20T10:00:54
There are more movies and TV shows then there have ever been, and it’s so easy to miss great content. Sometimes it’s because the timing was poor, or the world […]
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SSP051 Opening the Door to the Story Studio from 2019-02-13T10:00:32
Today’s intro-absent podcast is the beginning of a brand new look for the show. For too long, we’ve been struggling to fit into a business suit that’s too small and […]
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SSP050 Know Your Genre (Part 2) from 2019-02-06T10:00:36
The genre you write in matters. A lot. It can be the difference between years of frustration and artistic fulfillment. To save you from the anguish of writing the wrong […]
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SSP049 Know Your Genre (Part 1) from 2019-01-30T10:00:36
We’ve talked before about Genre Therapy and how we use it to help our writers identify the best genre of fiction to write. But we realized that we could do […]
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SSP048 What We're Excited for in 2019 from 2019-01-23T10:00:02
For a long time, we’ve said that 2018 was “our year.” But now that 2018 has come and gone, it was simultaneously our year and not our year. Instead, 2018 […]
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SSP047 Analyzing Bird Box (SPOILERS!) from 2019-01-16T10:00:55
Bird Box is Netflix’s most successful (by measure of viewership) film to date, and it started as a novel. The success Josh Malerman experienced with his debut novel can happen […]
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SSP046 On Mastery and 10000 Hours from 2018-12-26T10:00:53
The “10,000 hour rule” has become a staple of the practicing artist. When applied with intention, the consistent daily effort of putting in your hours can produce results that appear [&...
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SSP045 Performance Under Pressure from 2018-12-19T10:00:45
For the first time, everyone in the whole company is working in the same story world, and because we need to produce on a schedule with high-pressure deadlines, the kitchen […]
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SSP044 Making a Bad Premise Awesome from 2018-12-12T10:00:27
“If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up. If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will either fix it […]
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SSP043 Analyzing The Haunting of Hill House (SPOILERS!) from 2018-12-05T10:00:49
SPOILER ALERT! In this episode, we spoil the fuck out of the Netflix adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House (https://www.netflix.com/title/80189221) and discuss why it resonated so much for us [&...
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SSP042 Adapting a Story for Film and TV pt. 2 from 2018-11-21T10:00:28
Several episodes ago, we talked about film and TV adaptation and how we’re approaching the process as we work to move into new formats of storytelling. Today, we continue the […]
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SSP041 Characters: What Doesn't Work from 2018-11-14T10:00:46
If you read enough books or watch enough films, you’ll eventually find a character or cast of characters that “doesn’t work.” When characters fail to meet their true potential, the […]
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SSP040 How Our Childhoods Informed Our Storytelling from 2018-11-07T10:00:39
Being aware of who you are is important if you want optimal results in your life and storytelling. Hardship has shaped our worldview and the kinds of stories we yearn […]
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SSP039 Creative Expression from 2018-10-31T09:00:14
We recently held a small genre therapy event where we talked to authors that were motivated by a wide range of forces. During our meet-up, we asked: “how many of […]
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SSP038 2018 Q4 Story Studio Check-in from 2018-10-24T09:00:31
We’ve all taken on new adventures and challenges in our writing, and we’ve learned a lot over the past year. Committing to the vision of the Story Studio has meant […]
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SSP037 The Real-Life Stories That Inform Our Fiction pt. 2 from 2018-10-17T09:00:37
The seeds of stories are all around us. It’s our job as storytellers to acknowledge and nurture these seeds so that our novels and screenplays have life—a three-dimensionality that binds […]
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SSP036 The Real-Life Stories That Inform Our Fiction pt. 1 from 2018-10-10T09:00:13
The Story Studio Podcast is phoning it in for a couple episodes. But really, we’re expanding the scope of the show. The seeds of stories are all around us. It’s […]
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SSP035 Newsletter Ninjitsu with Tammi Labrecque from 2018-10-03T09:00:41
No one knows author newsletters like Tammi Labrecque. She literally wrote the book on it. Lucky for us, she agreed to talk to us about what authors get wrong about […]
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SSP034 Persuasion with Dave Lakhani from 2018-09-26T09:00:46
Dave Lakhani is a persuasion ninja. Driven by his need to understand why people believe what they believe, he’s built businesses using story to sell his ideas. Dave will be speaking […]
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SSP033 Storytelling in Video Games from 2018-09-19T09:00:44
Over the past forty years, the video game industry has grown in ways most of us couldn’t predict. Video games have shifted from the idled-away time of children to one […]
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SSP032 Great Villains from 2018-09-12T09:00:24
A hero is only as great as the villains that oppose them. A great villain frames your hero, bringing life to your conflicts and depth to your themes. Stories like […]
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SSP031 Relearning Mindset and Craft Lessons from 2018-09-05T09:00:27
We want to take a moment to talk about our writer’s journey. It’s been a long seven years with many trials and individual trajectories. That said, this isn’t a review […]
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SSP030 Bending the Rules of Story Structure from 2018-08-29T09:00:29
Now that we’re pulling back on author events with the Smarter Artist, we’re able to use our time on what we refer to as a “No ROI event.” These are […]
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SSP029 Adapting a Story for Film and TV from 2018-08-22T09:00:35
It’s the dream of many authors to see their work translated into a movie or TV. But there are several considerations an author must make when deciding whether their work […]
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SSP028 Great Storytelling in Modern Film and TV from 2018-08-15T09:00:27
We love film and Television. We’re lucky to be creators in an era when the visual medium has never been more instructive on storytelling via modern TV, and our ability […]
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SSP027 Johnny Battles Creative Burnout from 2018-08-08T09:00:46
For a while now, Johnny has been feeling the malaise of low creative energy after the heavy demands on his time over the past few weeks. Now that he’s back […]
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SSP026 The StoryJacket Process from 2018-08-01T09:00
We like to make up fun names for each step of our process at Sterling and Stone. Since we introduced the idea of StoryJackets, we’ve gotten many requests for us […]
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SSP025 Plotting a Story from 2018-07-25T09:00:06
While we’ve always engaged in some level of story preproduction, Sterling and Stone has made plotting an integral part of our production cycle. We all differ in how much we […]
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SSP024 Forging Character Arcs from 2018-07-18T09:00:56
Now, more than ever, character arc is a foundational concept at Sterling and Stone. When Bonnie joined us, she took our story development process and transformed it with her deep […]
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SSP023 Setting as Character from 2018-07-11T09:00:33
Setting is often a throwaway idea for a lot of storytellers. Stories sometimes set in a particular place because “why not?” There’s no rhyme or reason. The story just needs […]
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SSP022 Crafting Compelling Characters from 2018-07-04T09:00:28
Here at Sterling & Stone, character is king. Great characters stick with us long after we close the book or walk out of the movie theater, and great characters will […]
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SSP021 Developing a Story Premise from 2018-06-27T09:00:20
A story’s premise is more than just a “what if” question. It’s the lifeblood of crafting a compelling plot, engaging character development, and an enthralling theme. At Sterling & Stone, […]
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SSP020 The Foundations of Story from 2018-06-20T09:00:08
Today we’re starting a new arc of podcasts that are all about story. And there’s no one better to do this with than our resident wizard: Bonnie. And, really, wizard […]
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SSP019 What Our Future Holds from 2018-06-13T09:00:56
Now that we’ve caught you up on what Sterling and Stone is, we want to tell you what we’re becoming. We’re an ambitious company with a dream to make stories […]
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SSP018 StoryShop and Twisted Stone from 2018-06-06T09:00:28
Today we get to talk about StoryShop and our new venture: Twisted Stone. We’re not afraid of working hard, but it’s important that we also work smarter so that we […]
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SSP017 Planning for the Long Haul from 2018-05-30T09:00:21
It took us years to find our footing at Sterling & Stone, and once we decided to go all in on our story studio vision, our trajectory solidified. But narrowing […]
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SSP016 Getting Our Shit Together from 2018-05-23T09:00:25
It’s taken us forever, but we’re finally getting our shit together. We did so much so fast over the past few years, and last year it caught up to us. […]
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SSP015 Focus Is Power from 2018-05-16T09:00
We’d gotten our hedgehog concept wrong for a while, but we want to perform our best for each other and for our audience. By establishing fences, we’ve really crystalized what […]
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SSP014 What It Means to Be a Story Studio from 2018-05-09T09:00:11
Sterling & Stone as we know it has existed for about seven years, but we’ve been on this journey together for ten years. We all started within months of each […]
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SSP013 Lessons Learned and a Small Pivot from 2018-05-02T09:00:38
Sterling and Stone has only been doing The Story Studio Podcast for twelve episodes, and they’ve already learned a lot about the best direction for the show. In this episode, […]
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SSP012 What Makes a Story Sell from 2018-04-25T09:00:52
Contrary to popular belief, there is no vault in Hollywood holding the secret that turns a story into a commercial success. In this episode, Johnny, Sean, and Dave share how […]
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SSP011 How to Know When to Give Up on a Story from 2018-04-18T09:00:47
If you spend a significant amount of time storytelling, you’ll eventually face a project that you’ll either need to shelve or scrap. There are times when it comes as a […]
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SSP010 Why You Can't Always Be the Hero of Your Own Story from 2018-04-11T09:00:40
A good piece of writing advice for a character is to understand that a character is the center of his own world. Often even your worst characters are doing what […]
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SSP009 Dissecting 3 of our Successes and Failures from 2018-04-04T09:00:36
After writing millions of words together, Johnny, Sean, and Dave share their greatest successes and failures, and how they used those lessons to build their vision of a story studio. […]
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SSP008 Story Structure from 2018-03-28T09:00:14
Whether the story you’re telling is about yourself, a novel you’re writing, or the journey of your business, understanding the way stories work is a sure-fire way to resonating with […]
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SSP007 Getting live feedback to tell a better story, with Dr. Matt Champagne from 2018-03-21T09:00:14
Dr. Matt Champagne originally appeared on the Self Publishing Podcast to share what he’d learned about gathering customer opinions and experiences. In this episode, he’s back to talk to Johnny, [&#...
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SSP006 The Story Your Community Tells About You from 2018-03-14T09:00:16
What is the story that your community tells about you? Whether the stories you tell are about a ragtag group of space smugglers or about the pathway to financial freedom, […]
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SSP005 The Story of Your Business from 2018-03-07T10:00:50
Story goes far beyond books and film. It’s a fundamental way we make sense of the world around us. One man down, Johnny and Sean share how they’ve learned to […]
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SSP004 Breaking Down Breaking Bad from 2018-02-28T10:00:11
Breaking Bad is a masterwork in storytelling. In this episode, Johnny, Sean, and Dave talk about the importance of story structure. They break down how the first episode Breaking Bad: […]
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SSP003 What We Learned Publishing Over 100 Books from 2018-02-21T10:00:52
After writing millions of words in the trenches of the self-publishing landscape, Johnny, Sean, and Dave have emerged with many lessons learned from publishing more than one hundred titles. In [...
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SSP002 Where Story Is Going from 2018-02-14T10:00:18
In a fast-paced, ever-changing media environment, it’s important for artists to understand the role of story in our lives and businesses, and how story will shape our future. In this […]
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SSP001 Why Story Matters from 2018-02-06T18:24:28
Welcome to the Story Studio Podcast with Sterling & Stone! After retiring the Self Publishing Podcast, Johnny, Sean, and Dave are back for chapter two. In this inaugural episode, the […]
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