Making it as an Author with Nathan Baugh & Nat Eliason

Are you an aspiring author dreaming of writing full-time? Join Nathan and Nat, two online writers navigating the murky waters of the publishing world, as they pull back the curtain on their journeys to becoming professional authors. With refreshing honesty and hard-won insights, they'll share the ups and downs, rejections and victories, and everything they're learning along the way.

Whether you're hoping to publish fiction or nonfiction, traditionally or independently, this is a candid, unfiltered look at what it really takes. Nathan and Nat don't hold anything back as they workshop each other's drafts, swap tips for overcoming hurdles, and get real about their numbers, pitches, and publishing experiences. It's the inside scoop you won't find anywhere else—the ideal listening companion for any writer seeking to turn their dream into a career.

Timestamps

• [0:00] Nat & Nathan's backgrounds
• [0:23] Nathan's history writing a novel and querying 60+ agents
• [4:07] Nat's experience publishing Crypto Confidential
• [6:32] Building an audience as an author
• [11:15] Getting a fiction vs. nonfiction book deal
• [14:28] Traditional vs. self-publishing
• [18:06] Why Nat scrapped his first sci-fi novel
• [21:47] The pitfalls of over-editing too early
• [27:23] Making your writing exciting
• [35:11] Making settings familiar
• [36:40] Creating flawed, relatable protagonists
• [39:05] Current reads & book recommendations