Summary: On episode 73 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I spoke with author and book-launching mastermind Tom Morkes. Tom offered up tons of valuable advice about how to plan your book launch up to a year in advance. We also touched on:<br> <br> * his transition from commissioned officer to entrepreneur;<br> * the keys to a great author website (also discussed on <a href="http://tommorkes.com/bestselling-author-website/" target="_blank">here</a>);<br> * why there are no shortcuts to building your social media following;<br> * the differences between fiction and nonfiction platforms;<br> * how C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien built their “platforms”;<br> * how to build community around your book 6 months before it comes out;<br> * his company, <a href="http://acfuller.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/insurgentpublishing.com" target="_blank">Insurgent Publishing</a>.<br> <br> Plus, on “Today in Writing,” Hemingway questions his Nobel Prize.<br> About our Guest:<br> <a href="https://i2.wp.com/acfuller.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/81exewGRpnL._UX250_.jpg"></a>Tom Morkes was born in the Chicagoland area, grew up in West Michigan with his 3 brothers and 3 sisters and attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, where he double majored in Human Geography and Russian and fought on the boxing team.<br> After graduating, Tom served five years as a commissioned officer, including a deployment to Iraq as a Gun Truck Security Platoon Leader.<br> Tom is the CEO of Insurgent Publishing, a book marketing and publishing company, the creator of Publishersempire.com, a book launch platform and private self-publishing community, and the author of The Art of Instigating, Notes from Seth Godin’s Revolution Conference, The Complete Guide to Pay What You Want Pricing, and Collaborate.<br> Tom writes a blog at Tommorkes.com where he applies what he’s learned leading troops in combat to the world of entrepreneurship, writing and art. Check him out and say hi – he loves it when you do that!<br> <br>
