Michael Stewart is the Community Lead at Sudowrite, an AI creative writing partner designed primarily for fiction writers. His background is in journalism and nonfiction writing, but he discovered his struggle with fiction perfectionism early on—unable to finish first chapters because everything needed to be perfect from the start. Sudowrite helped him accelerate past the "shitty first draft" phase to get to the editing work he loves. Michael works with a community of 16,000+ authors on Sudowrite's Discord server, leads 12 teachers rotating through daily live classes, and helps writers find their unique workflows with AI tools. He's passionate about ensuring authors remain essential to their creative process while using AI to eliminate tedium.

In this episode:

• AI democratizes writing access like personal computers did
• Romance authors accelerating from 6 to 200 books yearly
• Import Novel reads work nine times, builds Story Bible
• Story Bible catalogs characters, settings, synopsis, outline
• Write button generates 150-1,500 words as smart autocomplete
• Stuck locally vs structurally: two types of writing blocks
• Plugins ecosystem for niche workflow needs
• Chat feature more powerful than ChatGPT with full context
• Pedal assist metaphor: eliminate tedium, focus on what you love
• Character cards with Enneagram types and custom traits
• Characters Prompt the Author: role-play scenes through character eyes
• New editing tool in beta highlights passages with custom feedback
• Minimal involvement creates soulless, clichéd fiction
• Authors must remain essential to avoid generic AI writing

Resources mentioned:

• SudoWrite
• Join the SudoWrite Discord
• Book: "Steering the Craft" by Ursula K. Le Guin — for deepening craft skills
• Claude AI
• ChatGPT

Connect with Michael Stewart:

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
  
  

Connect with Teddy Smith:
@teddyagsmith
Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com

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Madeline Shue is the Publishing Lead at ElevenLabs, an AI audio platform founded in 2022 and based in London with approximately 400 employees worldwide. ElevenLabs builds AI audio models including text-to-speech, speech-to-text, music, and sound effects, bringing these innovations to consumers, creators, and enterprises globally. Madeline works specifically on everything related to authors, publishers, and audiobooks, helping creators who previously lacked resources or ability to reach global audiences share their stories in audio form. She manages the journey from manuscript to production, post-production, and distribution through ElevenLabs' audiobook products and their consumer app, Eleven Reader.

In this episode:

• ElevenLabs history: from 250-word text boxes to full audiobook production
• The first beta tester uploaded entire manuscripts 250 words at a time
• AI audio quality now indistinguishable from human narrators for many books
• 90% of published books don't have audiobook counterparts
• ElevenLabs Creative: new consolidated audiobook hub
• Two production options: Dynamic Narration (free) vs Original Audiobook
• Dynamic Narration: listeners choose from 500+ voices including Michael Caine
• Original Audiobook: full creative control, voice selection, editing capability
• Voice cloning: narrate your book in your own voice
• Audio drama creation: Zephyrus One sci-fi example with music and sound effects
• Judy Garland's voice clone narrating The Wizard of Oz
• 6,000+ voices in the library from real people who earn when voices are used
• Design custom voices with prompts for specific characters
• Voice library filters: trending voices, usage stats, genre collections
• Iconic voices: Albert Einstein, Michael Caine, Robert Reynolds
• Dual POV narration easy for romance with alternating voices
• Pronunciation dictionary for fantasy names, spells, unusual terms
• Direct speech feature: record how you want words pronounced
• Editing typically takes equivalent time to audiobook duration
• Free Dynamic Narration option takes 5-10 minutes to publish
• Quality requirements: proper formatting, no table of contents in audio
• Copyright ownership: you own everything you create with ElevenLabs
• Eleven Reader royalties: 25 cents per hour streamed, 60% on direct sales
• No exclusivity requirements on any platform
• Distribution integrations: Spotify, Findaway, direct MP3 download
• Production costs: $100-200 for full-length books ($10-20 per finished hour)
• Multicast auto-assignment or manual voice selection by highlighting text

Resources mentioned:

• ElevenLabs: elevenlabs.io
• ElevenCreative: https://elevenlabs.io/creative
• Contact: reader@elevenlabs.io

Connect with Madeline Shue and ElevenLabs:

• Email: reader@elevenlabs.io
• Facebook Group: Authors of Eleven Labs
• Website: elevenlabs.io
• Twitter: https://x.com/elevenlabsio

Connect with Teddy Smith:
@teddyagsmith
Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.co

Support the show

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Walt Hampton is the Acquisitions Editor and Director of Marketing at Summit Press Publishing, where he reviews incoming manuscripts and helps authors do more than simply publish—he helps them get the book out into the world in a big way. Walt works with entrepreneurs and high-performing professionals to turn their books into keynotes, programs, coaching and consulting offers, and long-term marketing assets—because, as he puts it, it’s not about the book, it’s what you do with the book. In this conversation, Walt breaks down practical strategies for busy writers, including time blocking, reducing interruptions, reverse-engineering your writing sessions, and his six paths to finishing your book (from one-page-a-day all the way to ghostwriting).

In this episode:

• Walt’s dual role: acquisitions (reviewing manuscripts) + marketing (helping authors leverage the book)
• What makes Summit Press different: publishing + continued support long after launch
• Real examples of book leverage: building keynotes and high-ticket programs around the book
• Why publishing success requires long-term momentum (it’s a marathon, not a sprint)
• Time mastery for busy professionals: clarity of “why” + small consistent steps
• Time blocking: scheduling writing like client work (starting with just 1 hour/week)
• Reverse-engineering the process: define thesis/TOC/conclusion so each session has a purpose
• “Write the closing argument first”: drafting the conclusion early to create a destination
• Common time-wasters: phone proximity, alerts, and constant interruption
• Interruption science + attentional residue: why refocusing takes longer than you think
• Simple boundary systems: turning everything off + enrolling assistants/teams to protect focus time
• The “sticky note on the glass door” tactic for open-office interruptions
• Where AI helps (and where it hurts): great for brainstorming/themes + proofreading, bad for “soulless” manuscripts
• Final takeaway: begin imperfectly—editing comes later, but you can’t edit a blank page

Resources mentioned:

• Summit Press Publishers: https://summitpresspublishers.com/
• Brick by Brick
• Journeys on the Edge: Living a Life That Matters
• The Power Principles of Time Mastery: Do Less, Make More, Have Fun

Connect with Walt Hampton / Summit Press:

• Summit Press Publishers: https://summitpresspublishers.com/

Connect with Teddy Smith:

• @teddyagsmith
• Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
• Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
• Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
• Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
• Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/

Support the show

Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/