My Case Against Author Swag

By: Mary Kathleen Mehuron

I have never been comfortable wasting money and the earth’s environmental resources on trinkets that people will just throw away. Sure I will make business cards and bookmarks with the name of my new novel, The Belonger, on them but I will not purchase swag. Cups, pins, water bottles, hats, bags and the one I hate the most—beer koozies. How many water bottles does one person require? And if you don’t drink beer, that koozie is going right in the garbage. I am aware that only 21% of waste plastic is recycled or burned, the 79% that remains ends up in landfills or out there in the environment. The worst part is, it stays there forever in one form or another, because plastic doesn’t decompose. So no plastic promotional items for me and my books.

Let’s open our minds wider. Why not give your potential readers something they actually need and want. Something that is heartfelt and, the best part is, it’s free. You can give them your time.

Long ago I found a study by Goodreads that said the #1 reason people buy books is because they know the author. Upon further examination I realized they may not personally know the writer but may know of them or have seen their name before. So I decided to get my name out there by providing content in Vermont that benefits our community. I started writing articles called Take Me Back in which I celebrated locals who share a favorite living memory; I helped them get it down on paper and then ran around looking for photographs to support their story.

The articles were immediately popular in our local paper and became a column. Thanks, in part, to the Vermont Arts Council the column became a fundraising book which will launch the same day as The Belonger. It’s a beautiful keepsake edition. Part coffee table book and part a story of how the Take Me Back articles came about. The 27 chapters have a full story arc that weaves through the gorgeous photographs. It is a story about stories with lots of cool photos. 

Yes, I had to go out pitching like crazy, but all contributors donated their work and local businesses paid for the graphic design and printing. Therefore, 100% of the profits will go to history projects for The Mad River Valley in Vermont. After a lot of work, our fundraising became a 501 (c)(3) non- profit called Take Me Back Inc. 

In June the column will grow into a podcast and local television show. I am giving my time away, but it is rewarding how much people enjoy my work. They send me emails thanking me. I print them out, and if I have a blue day, I pull them out of the drawer to read again. One said, “We are so grateful that you hold up our history and celebrate us. But it’s also a chance to realize what a good writer you are.” An email like that is so heartwarming. And it makes my point doesn’t it? 

All the while my name is out there. The articles conclude with Mary Kathleen Mehuron writes books and lives in Waitsfield. You can pre-order her new novel, The Belonger, now. 

By doing good work for our larger community, more and more people feel they know me. I have noticed that my first two novels’ book sales have gone up and you know what? I feel that I am making a difference too.

Maybe you don’t have the time to start a non-profit, but you can help out someone with the skills you have developed by writing. And it will be noticed. Be a voice for others that don’t have your confidence. For example, you could work with the very young or the very old to tell their stories. It has never been easier to publish across so many venues. Or go to your school district and say, “I want to pilot a project. I know I could coach middle school kids to construct a story arc and create a hand made book. Your budget is tight. Let me volunteer to do it.”

You could post a free workshop online and let your readers know about it. Or offer your talent as a volunteer editor and coach to organizations that need help. I know one woman who created a workshop for women in prison and just made sure people knew about it. There are so many needs and possibilities. The best part is as people come to know you more and more, their feeling about you will be positive. That, and the products you create will not wind up in a landfill.  

Mary Kathleen Mehuron is a career educator who made a splash with her first book, Fading Past, an autobiographical novel whose protagonist, like Mary Kathleen, grew up Irish-Catholic in New Jersey. The Opposite of Never is Mary Kathleen’s second book, and to finish it, she traveled alone to Havana in January 2015 in order to experience the city before it became Americanized. Mary Kathleen lives and teaches in a ski town in Vermont where they call her Kathy. This is where she and her husband raised three sons,  and she is an occasional columnist and writes curriculum daily for private math and science students. She takes extended time to work on her novels on Grand Turk Island and in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.

Mary McCoy on Jumping Genres & Misleading Representations of Romantic Love in YA

Todays guest is Mary McCoy, author of Indestructible Object. We talk about jumping genres - why we do it, and if it helps - or hurts - our careers. Also covered: the representation of romantic love in the media in general, and YA in particular.

Listen to the Episode Now

How to Record a Podcast Remotely And Get It Right The First Time

This article is originally published on descript.com.

Remote interviews are a fact of life for every podcaster, and in today’s era of social distancing, more so than ever. Since you rarely get the chance at an interview do-over, nailing down your remote recording workflow is essential. We’ll show you how to prepare for and record a remote interview, so you get it right the first time — with some additional tips along the way to make sure all your bases are covered. 

Choose the right remote recording setup for your podcast

The first step is to determine the remote recording setup that best suits the format and content of your podcast and your production and editing workflow.

In most cases, your best solution will involve recording remote interviews on Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, or a similar online conferencing service. This low-friction setup makes it easy for guests or co-hosts to contribute, but you’ll need to make sure you have the right software to record these interviews.

It’s also wise to make sure you can record phone calls. Phone interviews don’t offer great audio fidelity, but they make a great backup option in case of technical problems or schedule changes. Phone interviews probably won’t be your first choice, but it’s a good idea to be able to record a phone call just in case you need to. 

If you’re recording with the same remote co-host on each episode of your podcast, consider a double-ender setup, in which you and your co-host record your own audio tracks locally and combine them in post-production. For most podcasters, this isn’t the most convenient solution, but it does translate into the highest audio fidelity for you and your co-host.

The best way to record an interview is to prepare for it

When it comes to interviewing — especially remote interviewing — a little preparation goes a long way.

Do some research into your guest’s background, expertise, and projects. Who are they? Why is their work notable? What do you (and in turn, your audience) hope to learn from them?

Putting together a rough outline of the questions you’d like to ask will come in very handy. Write down a handful of specific questions and key points, but keep your outline broad and high-level. That’ll allow you to more easily adapt to the flow of conversation.

Maintaining that conversational flow remotely can be substantially trickier than doing so person-to-person. Prime yourself to listen more than you speak — in particular, try not to interrupt your guest. Editing out awkward silences between speakers is much easier than dealing with too much crosstalk!

When it’s time to record the interview, take a couple final preparatory steps to ensure a clean recording. Close all unnecessary software and set your computer to “Do Not Disturb” mode to make sure unwanted distractions don’t pop up (or worse: end up in the recording).

How to record a Skype call, Zoom interview, or Google Hangout

For most remote recording situations, Zoom, Skype, or Google Hangouts are your platforms of choice. All three are easy to set up, simple for guests to use, and feature audio fidelity good enough for most podcasts. 

Both Zoom and Skype offer built-in call recording functionality, but Google Hangouts currently limits this offering to enterprise users. There’s an additional caveat: the file format (.MP4 or .M4A) that each platform outputs may not be what you want, depending on your podcast production and editing workflow.

For maximum control over your final product, you’re better off using third-party apps to record computer system audio directly into the recording software of your choice rather than relying on their recording functionality.

If you’re on a Mac, BlackHole is a great open-source tool that allows you to route audio between apps, which means you can record the audio output from Zoom (or Skype, or Google Hangouts) directly into your preferred recording software. On Windows, Virtual Audio Cable offers similar functionality. 

If you’re already using Descript to record, you won’t need to use additional audio routing software. When recording audio into Descript, open the Record panel, choose Add a Track, select your input, and choose “Computer audio.” Click the Record button whenever you’re ready, and audio from Zoom, Skype, or Google Hangouts will be piped into Descript. 

No matter which remote recording setup you use, make sure you test it — and test it again — with a friend or colleague before you’re actually recording your podcast. Troubleshooting when you should be interviewing ranks near the top of everyone’s Least Favorite Things To Deal With, so make sure everything is in order before your guest is on the line.

How to record a phone interview with Google Voice

Social distancing means nearly everyone has gotten used to handling calls and meetings on Zoom, Skype, or Google Hangouts. But maybe your podcast guest is really old-school, or their computer is on the fritz, or maybe they’re simply only able to access a phone during your scheduled call time. It’s likely phone interviews will never be your first choice, but being able to record an old-fashioned phone call will come in handy.

Recording phone calls can be tricky, but using Google Voice to make an outgoing phone call from your computer means you can use the same remote recording setup detailed above to record the call.

Follow Google’s instructions to set up Google Voice and then learn how to make an outgoing call. Once everything’s set up, you’ll be able to record phone calls with Google Voice just like you’d record an interview on Zoom or Skype. 

Again, make sure to test with a friend and then test again before your interview. 

If lossless audio quality is a must, record a “double-ender”

For most remote recording situations, Zoom, Skype, or Google Hangouts are your platforms of choice. All three are easy to set up, simple for guests to use, and feature audio fidelity good enough for most podcasts. 

But if you have a remote co-host that regularly appears on your podcast, and you want to maximize the quality of your audio, a “double-ender” is the way to go: Each host or guest records themselves locally, and audio tracks are combined in post-production. For an additional cost, you can use third-party recording platforms that simulate double-enders without each speaker managing their own recording software. 

A traditional double-ender sees each speaker recording their own audio track using their recording software of choice (Descript, Audacity, Quicktime, etc.), and then the host or editor combines each speaker’s recording into a finished product. Each speaker should have a decent microphone — if they’re using a laptop microphone to record, you probably won’t hear a substantial advantage with a double-ender over a Zoom, Skype, or Google Hangouts recording.

Alternatively, you can simulate a double-ender by using a platform like SquadCast, Zencastr, or Cleanfeed. These services record lossless audio from each speaker, upload each track to the cloud, and combine them automatically. These platforms cost money, but they’re a great alternative to a double-ender when guests or co-hosts don’t have the time or wherewithal to fiddle with recording themselves locally. Again, make sure each speaker has a decent microphone — otherwise you won’t reap the full benefits of lossless audio.

Make remote recording hassles a thing of the past

Recording your podcast remotely isn’t painless, but once you get the hang of it — and nail down your workflow — it’ll become second nature.