The Writers Chair

Craig A. Falconer used to believe that anyone writing 10,000 words a day had to be producing garbage. Then a deadline forced his hand: he needed 113,000 words in thirteen days, hit 14,500 words in a single 19-hour sitting, and came out the other side with what his beta readers called his favorite chapters yet. It's a blunt challenge to a belief a lot of writers hold onto — including, until recently, Craig himself.Craig A. Falconer is a bestselling Scottish science fiction novelist behind the Not Alone series, the Teradox series, and the Sycamore series. His debut breakout, Not Alone, launched in December 2015 and became a runaway hit that's sustained his career for years — including a six-figure Audible advance built by pitching three books as a single trilogy deal instead of negotiating one at a time.We get into the deliberate, research-heavy engineering behind Not Alone's breakout success — from choosing "aliens in a contemporary setting" as a crossover-friendly subject to reverse-engineering optimal chapter length from bestselling comps — and how a single trip to the 20Books Edinburgh conference reshaped his entire production and marketing strategy. We also talk candidly about the reality of a 10,000-word-a-day writing sprint, why he deliberately used 2D covers for his box sets against industry convention, and how "modeling specific success" (not general advice) became his core strategy for every major decision in his career.🎙️ What we get into:How writing 113,000 words in thirteen days actually felt, physically and mentally, and why the prose came out cleaner than expectedThe specific, deliberate engineering behind Not Alone's breakout success — subject choice, curb appeal, and title/cover/blurb congruenceWhy he uses 2D covers for his box sets, against the standard convention in fantasy and sci-fiHow pitching Audible a trilogy deal instead of one book at a time led to a six-figure advance"Modeling specific success" — his method of studying comparable bestsellers' reviews, chapter lengths, and presentation choices rather than following general adviceReverse-engineering an optimal ~1,400-word chapter length from studying bestselling sci-fi compsWhy he deliberately wrote two Teradox novels between Not Alone 1 and 2 — partly as a "palette cleanser," partly to convince himself he wasn't a one-hit wonderHow attending the 20Books Edinburgh conference directly reshaped his time-blocking, box set strategy, and production paceWhy he's a confirmed night writer, and how he stopped fighting that in favor of working with itThe danger of "paralysis through analysis" from over-studying story structure books after early successLinks & Resources:Craig A. Falconer on Facebook: facebook.com/CraigAFalconerSubscribe to The Writer's ChairIf you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow writer.📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@willcocksauthor🎧 Listen on your favourite app: https://pod.link/1829723468🖥️ Find out more: https://danielwillcocks.com/thewriterschair📚 About Craig A. FalconerCraig A. Falconer is a bestselling Scottish novelist specializing in science fiction. He has written several widely popular series in his career, including the Not Alone series, the Teradox series, and the Sycamore series.

Jenna Moreci's YouTube channel almost didn't happen. She scripted ten polished, bleeped-out, professional-sounding videos before posting a single one — and none of them worked. Then, mid–bachelorette party, she posted a raw, unfiltered rant about the worst parts of being a writer. In one week she went from 100 subscribers to 7,000. This episode — pulled from the Activated Authors vault — is a reminder that the advice holds up no matter when it was recorded.Jenna Moreci is a bestselling author known for combining sweet, swoony romance with extreme violence and bloodshed. She's also a YouTuber with hundreds of thousands of subscribers, where she shares blunt, funny, no-filter advice on writing and publishing. She's the author of The Savior's Champion and its companion novel Savior's Sister, along with the widely recommended nonfiction guide Shut Up and Write the Book.We get into the real numbers behind building an author platform on YouTube — including the honest truth that most subscribers are there for free advice, not to buy your books — and how authenticity, not polish, is what actually grows a channel. We also talk candidly about writing her second novel while serving as full-time caregiver to her fiancé after a spinal injury and chronic pain diagnosis, why she deliberately swears and writes adult content to filter for the right audience, and where she thinks a writer's imagination actually comes from.🎙️ What we get into:Why her first ten scripted, "professional" YouTube videos flopped — and what changed once she stopped bleeping herself outThe real percentage of her 200K+ subscribers who actually buy her books, and why that number doesn't discourage herWhy she deliberately swears and writes explicit content on camera to filter for her actual target readers, not a broader audienceWriting Savior's Sister over roughly two years while serving as full-time caregiver to her fiancé through repeated surgeries for a chronic pain conditionHer blunt distinction between "writer" (someone who writes) and "author" (someone who's sold their writing)The unique, gendered abuse she receives as a woman on YouTube, and why she still believes the platform was worth itHow she diversified income through ad revenue, sponsorships, merch, and affiliates instead of relying solely on book salesWhy she never covers topics she doesn't feel qualified to speak on, even when heavily requestedHer actual monthly production schedule: one week out of four devoted entirely to scripting, filming, and editing videosWhere her imagination comes from, and the recurring dream that stopped once she returned to writing full-timeLinks & Resources:Jenna Moreci: https://jennamoreci.comJenna Moreci on YouTube: youtube.com/jennamoreciSubscribe to The Writer's ChairIf you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow writer.📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@willcocksauthor🎧 Listen on your favourite app: https://pod.link/1829723468🖥️ Find out more: https://danielwillcocks.com/thewriterschair📚 About Jenna MoreciJenna Moreci is a half-human, half-weaponized robot hellbent on overthrowing mankind. She's also a bestselling author specializing in "so cute you could barf" romance interspersed with extreme violence and bloodshed. A Silicon Valley native, Jenna hosts a YouTube channel with hundreds of thousands of subscribers, where she uses her passion for storytelling and background in business to help other creators navigate their writing and publishing journey.

Jonathan Yanez quit his job, cashed in his 401k, and burned every safety net he had — all before he told his wife. The first month of self-publishing, he made thirty cents. Eight years later, he runs a full-time publishing business with his wife, is fielding calls from the screenwriter behind Dune and Doctor Strange, and hasn't touched alcohol since the same year he walked away from his day job.Jonathan Yanez is the author of the sci-fi Forsaken Mercenary and Gateway to the Galaxy series, and the nonfiction motivational book Get It Done: Hard-Hitting Motivation for Authors. He's also a former full-time, now part-time, personal trainer — a background he draws on constantly when talking about discipline, routine, and physical health as a writer's foundation.We get into his actual daily schedule (4,000 words a day, six days a week, in 20–30 minute sprints before 8 a.m.), the blunt story of quitting his job without warning his wife, and how he approaches setbacks in his current push into foreign publishing, video games, and film — including a cold rejection that turned into a meeting six months later once he'd built momentum. We also talk about sobriety, self-belief, and why he thinks most authors box themselves out of opportunities they've never actually tried to pursue.🎙️ What we get into:His actual writing routine: 5 a.m. starts, 4,000 words a day, 20–30 minute sprints, six days a weekWhy he quit his job and cashed in his 401k without telling his wife firstHow the first month of self-publishing brought in thirty cents — and what it grew into over eight yearsWhy he believes "fail early, fail often, fail forward" applies just as much to lifting weights as it does to drafting a novelThe cold pitch that got rejected, then turned into a meeting six months later once the project gained visible momentumWhy he thinks writers are athletes, and how skipping exercise directly affects his creative outputHow he built connections in foreign publishing, video games, and film through cold outreach and persistenceGetting sober the same year he left his day job, and how that shift changed his entire driveWhy he writes down five yearly goals, then deliberately doesn't look at them again until year's endHis honest take on why some mentors discourage ambition — because your growth reminds them of where they stoppedLinks & Resources:Jonathan Yanez: https://jonathanyanez.comSubscribe to The Writer's Chair If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow writer. 📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@willcocksauthor 🎧 Listen on your favourite app: https://pod.link/1829723468 🖥️ Find out more: https://danielwillcocks.com/thewriterschair📚 About Jonathan YanezJonathan Yanez is an author of sci-fi and fantasy fiction. He's the creative mind behind the Forsaken Mercenary series and the Gateway to the Galaxy series. He's also the author of the nonfiction book Get It Done: Hard-Hitting Motivation for Authors. Beyond writing, Jonathan is a former personal trainer, a part-time model, and an all-round inspiring guy.

Rachael Herron's editor once gave her a note that's stuck with her ever since: "less feely, more stabby." She'd written a thriller with too much heart in it, and had to go back through and strip warmth out in favour of terror. It's a small, funny detail — but it points at something bigger this episode digs into: the tension between writing what sells and writing what you actually love, and what happens to a career when you finally stop chasing the market.Rachael Herron is the international and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen books spanning fantasy, thrillers (written as R.H. Herron), mainstream fiction, romance, memoir, and nonfiction about writing. She holds an MFA from Mills College and has taught writing extension workshops at UC Berkeley and Stanford. A dual Kiwi-American citizen, she now lives in Wellington, New Zealand, five years after relocating from the US with her wife during the pandemic.We get into the fantasy novel she wrote purely for herself — with no market strategy at all — that became her first USA Today bestseller, why she now makes more money from an unpromoted self-published backlist than from actively marketed new releases, and why she believes chasing sales math ("if I can write this much in two hours...") is a trap that destroys writers. We also talk candidly about jealousy versus insecurity among peers, why she hates every promotional email she's ever sent, and how running her podcast for years has quietly become the thing that keeps her from ever fully quitting writing.🎙️ What we get into:Why she wrote a fantasy novel with zero market strategy — and how it became her first USA Today bestsellerThe "less feely, more stabby" editorial note that forced her to rewrite the emotional register of a thrillerWhy she believes she makes more money self-publishing an unpromoted backlist than actively marketing new trad-published booksHer honest breakdown of writing in "seasons" rather than a fixed daily routineWhy doing the math on your writing speed ("if I can do this in two hours...") is dangerous and misleadingThe real difference between jealousy and insecurity when a student's book outperforms your ownWhy she believes readers follow an author's voice across genres more readily than most writers assumeHow she balances teaching, coaching, and writing without letting one cannibalize the othersWhy she still hates every promotional email she sends — and buries the ask in the P.S. to make it feel less pushyWhat she'd do differently if she woke up tomorrow with no backlist and no name recognition: write in one series, in one genre, long enough for readers to expect the next bookLinks & Resources:Horror Halloween Promotion: https://devilsrockbooks.com/partnersRachael Herron: https://rachaelherron.comRachael Herron's writer email list: https://rachaelherron.com/writeSubscribe to The Writer's Chair If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow writer. 📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@willcocksauthor 🎧 Listen on your favourite app: https://pod.link/1829723468 🖥️ Find out more: https://danielwillcocks.com/thewriterschair📚 About Rachael HerronRachael Herron is the international and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen books, including fantasy, thrillers (under R.H. Herron), mainstream fiction, romance, memoir, and nonfiction about writing. She received her MFA in writing from Mills College, Oakland, and she’s taught writing extension workshops at both UC Berkeley and Stanford. A dual New Zealand and American citizen, she lives in Wellington, New Zealand with her banjo-playing wife and brick-eating dog.

She took a perfectly good mug out of its shipping-safe box to fit it into a prettier presentation box for her Kickstarter — and broke two mugs before they even reached backers. It cost her $20 a mug to replace them. It's a small, honest example of the kind of lesson you only learn by actually running a crowdfunding campaign, and this week's guest has run three of them, learning something new — and expensive — every time.Ember May (formerly writing as Emmy B) writes cozy mysteries and holiday rom-coms full of found family, scheming pets, and off-leash laughter. She's published ten cozy mysteries and is two books into a holiday rom-com series, all while running a farm in Guam and building an active presence in Kickstarter-focused author communities. Her most recent campaigns have moved her away from Amazon-first thinking entirely — Amazon isn't where she makes her money, and rapid release was never part of her strategy.We get into what actually goes into a well-built Kickstarter page — from trope cards to "about you" sections written in first person — the real difference between which genres perform well (romantasy and paranormal) and which underperform (contemporary romance), and why simplicity in your reward tiers matters far more than most first-time campaigners realize. We also talk about the algorithm's attention-based mechanics, the "shelf trophy" appeal of special editions, and why in-person, human-first selling is starting to matter more than social media ever did.🎙️ What we get into:Why Amazon isn't where she makes money, and how that reshaped her entire release strategyHow she went from nine confusing reward tiers on her first Kickstarter to a much simpler structure on her thirdThe real anatomy of a strong Kickstarter page: trope cards, visual "shelf trophy" details, a first-person about-you section, and a "here's the pledge button" screenshot for newcomersWhy page count matters to Kickstarter backers and word count doesn'tWhich genres actually convert well on Kickstarter (romantasy, paranormal, fantasy) versus which struggle (contemporary romance)The pre-launch phase: why hitting roughly 25 followers before your $500-scale goal helps kickstart the algorithmReal fulfillment mistakes — including the $40 mug-breaking lesson — and why "the work doesn't end when you hit your goal, it's just the beginning"Why pets in your books (and on your Kickstarter page) genuinely move the needle with backersThe difference between Kickstarter and GoFundMe, and why backers are higher-value customers willing to pay a premiumFree and low-cost resources for learning Kickstarter, including Author Nation's community cohorts and Anthea Sharp's "Kickstarter for Authors" Facebook groupLinks & Resources:Halloween Promotion https://devilsrockbooks.com/partners https://cozymystery.com/authors/ember-mae/Subscribe to The Writer's Chair If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow writer. 📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@willcocksauthor 🎧 Listen on your favourite app: https://pod.link/1829723468 🖥️ Find out more: https://danielwillcocks.com/thewriterschair📚 About Ember MayEmber Mae writes books where found family thrives, pets scheme, and laughter is always off-leash. She writes cozy mysteries and holiday romcoms, and one day plans to mix those two genres together. She writes cozy and romantic books that will have you laughing, swooning, and crying with characters that feel more like friends.

In February 2023, Clare Sager was filling out day job applications. Her income had tanked after the post-lockdown "Great Correction," her savings were gone, and going back to full-time employment felt less like a setback and more like a personal failure. That same month, her book A Kiss of Iron came out — and instead of the usual spike-then-crash of an indie release, the sales kept climbing. By March, she'd earned more in a month than she used to make in a year at her day job.Clare Sager is the Sunday Times bestselling author of darkly addictive romantasy, full of slow-burn steam, gut-wrenching conflict, and morally grey everybody. Dubbed the "Queen of Edging" by readers, she's built the Saberverse — a connected universe of series and standalones — and has gone on to sign a UK deal with Transworld's Fairyloot imprint and a US deal with Forever for her novel King of Ravens, all while staying primarily indie.We get into the real, unfiltered version of watching a career collapse and rebuild in the same year, why she turned down several traditional publishing offers before finding the right one, and how deliberately leaning into genre tropes — rather than chasing originality — is what made A Kiss of Iron take off. We also talk about what romantasy actually is, why she abandoned her early instinct to "Tolkien" every detail of her world before writing a single scene, and how diversifying across audiobooks, translations, and subscription boxes protects her from any one platform's next policy change.🎙️ What we get into:* The month she was applying for day jobs while her breakout book was quietly climbing the charts* Why the post-lockdown "Great Correction" gutted her income after finally going full-time as a writer* Her framework for evaluating trad publishing offers: what a deal gives you versus what you're already generating on your own* Why she deliberately diversifies across KU, audiobooks, translations, and subscription boxes rather than relying on any one platform* How the Fairyloot and Transworld deal for King of Ravens actually came together, almost by accident* Why she stopped trying to fully "Tolkien" her world before writing, and started dropping worldbuilding seeds as she goes* What romantasy actually is, its contested definition, and why she thinks reader expectation of a happy ending is now essentially non-negotiable* The craft lesson from Dr. Jennifer Lynn Barnes — "storytelling is a pleasure technology" — that changed how she approaches tropes and originality* Why she thinks leaning harder into what worked in her Beneath Black Sails series is what made A Kiss of Iron break out* Her honest take on authors chasing romantasy as a trend without actually reading or respecting the genreLinks & Resources:FREE 7 Day Course: https://danielwillcocks.com/finishWebsite Design: https://www.danielwillcocks.com/author-websites/Halloween Promotion: https://devilsrockbooks.com/partnersClare Sager: https://claresager.comClare Sager on Instagram: @claresagerSubscribe to The Writer's ChairIf you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow writer.📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@willcocksauthor🎧 Listen on your favourite app: https://pod.link/1829723468🖥️ Find out more: https://danielwillcocks.com/thewriterschair📚 About Clare SagerClare Sager is the Sunday Times bestselling author of darkly addictive romantasy full of slow-burn steam, gut-wrenching conflict and morally grey everybody. Dubbed the Queen of Edging by readers, she takes no responsibility for lost sleep or therapy bills.When she's not breaking hearts with her books, Clare can usually be found drinking coffee, lifting weights or impulse-buying stationery. She lives in Nottingham, Robin Hood country, so it's no surprise she writes about characters who don't always play by the rules.

For a while, Johnny B. Truant wrote 1.5 million words a year — the equivalent of the full Harry Potter series, plus another half, sitting on a shelf every twelve months. Then it stopped. Not from burnout, but from a slow drift away from the industry itself. When he tried to come back, he found the stories just petered out. This episode is about what it actually takes to restart a stalled creative engine — and why he's now deliberately choosing a smaller, slower, more human way of selling books.Johnny B. Truant writes smart books for smart readers. He's the author of Fat Vampire — the book that became Syfy's Reginald the Vampire, starring Jacob Batalon — plus over 150 books across most genres. He co-wrote the indie-publishing touchstone Write. Publish. Repeat. and co-founded the Self-Publishing Podcast, work that unintentionally became the founding text of the "rapid release" movement. His most recent book, The Artist and Author, argues for the opposite: earning ten true fans instead of chasing ten thousand copies.We get into why "knowing too much" about story structure once broke his process, why he's walking away from Kindle Unlimited and Amazon algorithm chasing entirely, and the exact difference in buying behavior between comic-con buyers and street-festival buyers. We also talk about restarting a three-year-dormant writing habit, why he refuses to use pen names despite writing in a dozen genres, and why he recently — reluctantly — joined Instagram after years off social media.🎙️ What we get into:Why he wrote 1.5 million words a year for over a decade, and what actually caused that engine to stall for three yearsHow learning "real" story structure temporarily broke his ability to write instinctivelyHis entire sales philosophy in one line: the right offer, in front of the right reader, in the right way, at the right timeWhy he's raising his own prices on Amazon rather than chasing algorithmic reachThe real behavioral difference between comic-con book buyers and street-festival book buyersWhy he never adopted a pen name despite writing across a dozen genres — and why he thinks his reasoning doesn't apply to everyoneWhat finally convinced him to open an Instagram account after years of deliberately avoiding social mediaHow collecting emails at live events pays off — not through between-convention sales, but through repeat visitsThe conversation with Joanna Penn that helped him choose quality of reader relationships over raw sales volumeWhy unboxing his first real box of paperbacks made him feel like "a real author" for the first timeLinks & Resources:Finish Your Damn Draft (course) https://danielwillcocks.com/finish Johnny B. Truant: https://johnnybtruant.comFat Vampire by Johnny B. Truant (adapted as Syfy's Reginald the Vampire)The Artist and Author by Johnny B. TruantWrite. Publish. Repeat. by Johnny B. Truant, Sean Platt, and David WrightKevin Kelly's "1,000 True Fans" https://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/ Subscribe to The Writer's Chair If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow writer. 📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@willcocksauthor 🎧 Listen on your favourite app: https://pod.link/1829723468 🖥️ Find out more: https://danielwillcocks.com/thewriterschair📚 About Johnny B. TruantJohnny B. Truant writes smart books for smart readers. He's the author of Fat Vampire, the book that became Syfy's Reginald the Vampire starring Jacob Batalon, plus over 150 books across most genres. His books are layered, intelligent, and often funny. Johnny loves what he does, never cuts corners, and would rather earn ten true fans than sell ten thousand copies.

She once deleted a character she genuinely loved — a warm, likeable hippie who was lovely in every scene — because "lovely" was all he ever did. His lines worked better coming out of someone else's mouth, so out he went. It's the kind of ruthless edit that separates a hobbyist from someone with fifteen-plus years and dozens of books behind them, and it's exactly the mindset this week's guest brings to every draft.Catherine Cavendish writes suspense fiction steeped in the supernatural, paranormal, and gothic — ghost stories that make you check the locks twice. Her new novel, Ghost of Chantelands, arrives via Flame Tree Press on 18th August 2026, joining a catalogue that includes Dark Observation, The Haunting of Henderson Close, and her Nemesis of the Gods trilogy through Crossroad Press. Her path started with typewriters, carbon paper, and parcels of manuscripts posted off to publishers decades ago — and she's still hitting a 2,000-word daily target on first drafts today.We get into her no-outline "pantser" process (where the first draft runs to 70–80,000 words and functions as her actual outline), the real otters and a Country Life property listing that became the seed for Ghost of Chantelands, and why she believes a good ghost story needs the haunted place to function as a character in its own right. We also talk about her decades-long relationship with editor Don D'Auria, why she refuses to write happy endings, and her genuine, unfiltered love of Rosemary's Baby.🎙️ What we get into:Her one-novel-a-year publishing cycle, and the research, drafting, and beta-reading process behind itWhy she still hits a firm 2,000-word daily target on first drafts — and cuts thousands of words without hesitation when a scene doesn't earn its placeCutting a character she loved because he was "lovely" and did nothing for the plotHow two real otters at a wildlife centre and a Country Life magazine property listing became the haunted house at the centre of her new novelHer "pantser" approach — no outline, no chapter notes, just character and setting, then typing to keep up with the storyThe stone tape theory, and why she believes the best ghost stories treat the haunted location as a characterHer four-decade publishing journey — from typewritten submissions in the 1970s to Sam Hain Publishing, Don D'Auria, and Flame Tree PressWhy she deliberately avoids gore in favour of atmosphere, suspense, and dreadAdvice for her earlier self on staying in the game for the long haul, including her old English teacher's mantra: "be positive, even if you're wrong, be wrong positively"Her love of Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby and how it shaped her sense of a faithful book-to-film adaptationLinks & Resources:Catherine Cavendish: https://catherinecavendish.comFlame Tree PressllRosemary's Baby by Ira LevinCreature by Hunter SheaLitopia https://litopia.com/Subscribe to The Writer's ChairIf you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow writer.📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@willcocksauthor🎧 Listen on your favourite app: https://pod.link/1829723468🖥️ Find out more: https://danielwillcocks.com/thewriterschair📚 About Catherine CavendishCatherine Cavendish writes suspense fiction steeped in the supernatural, paranormal, and Gothic — the kind of ghost stories that make you check the locks twice.Her new novel, Ghosts of Chanterlands, lands via Flame Tree Press 18 August 2026, joining a haunting catalogue that includes Dark Observation, The Haunting of Henderson Close, and her Nemesis of the Gods trilogy, published through Crossroad Press.When she's not writing, Catherine wanders Neolithic stone circles and explores old haunted houses — research that clearly bleeds into her fiction. She lives with a long-suffering husband and a black cat who still expects to be worshipped.