Leigh Stein did something that few writers do: she talked publicly about how many copies her books have sold. Her novel sold 8,000 copies. Her memoir that followed it sold 1,345 copies, which was hugely disappointing to her. In particular because it came out at a time when she was running an organization of 40,000 people. We dig into the highs and lows of the writing life, and what she learned in publishing fiction, memoir, and poetry. Plus we celebrate the sale of her new book to Penguin!

In this episode of The Creative Shift podcast, I interview author Brian Heiler about how he developed a thriving online community around his love for 1970s toys and pop culture. He runs PlaidStallions.com and is the author of the book: Rack Toys: Cheap Crazed Playthings. He blew me away when he told me that in order to do the layout and design for the book he wrote, he went to night school! I Oh, and we talk about the time his dad came home with 5,000 General Urko dolls from Planet of the Apes.

"The most interesting marketing opportunities are those that are unconventional." That is how author-illustrator Lori Richmond sums up the case study we are about to present here. In today's episode of The Creative Shift podcast, we take you step by step as to how Lori discovered a way to get her work seen by millions of people in the middle of New York City. You can find Lori at LoriDraws.com and on Instagram at @LoriRichmondDraws