June 23, 2025 • 20 mins
In this episode of the Early Accountability Podcast, host Kimi Walker is joined by G. Michael Hopf, a Marine veteran, USA Today bestselling author, and founder of two publishing companies. G. Michael shares his incredible journey from telling bedtime stories to his daughters to writing over 40 published books, including a breakout novel that led to a major publishing deal with Penguin Random House. Together, they dive deep into what it really takes to achieve a big goal like writing a book, focusing on the power of discipline, visualization, and staying accountable to yourself.
Throughout the conversation, G. Michael offers practical tools and mindset strategies for aspiring writers, including the importance of treating writing like a job, creating a consistent writing routine, and using AI as a supportive tool rather than a replacement for creativity. He encourages listeners to stop waiting for the perfect time, stop overplanning, and simply start writing. His key message is clear and motivational: success begins the moment you decide to show up for yourself with consistency and commitment.
Topics Covered in This Episode:
- How G. Michael Hopf wrote over 40 books and built two publishing companies
- Why visualization and mindset are critical for success
- The power of discipline and showing up daily, even without inspiration
- Tips for overcoming writer’s block and staying creatively motivated
- How to use AI as a helpful tool without losing your creative voice
- Why new writers should stop overthinking and just start writing
About G. Michael Hopf
G. Michael Hopf is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. With over 40 novels and more than one million copies sold, his work, especially The New World Series, is known for its gritty realism, fast-paced action, and emotional depth. A former U.S. Marine with three deployments, Hopf draws on his military experience to bring authenticity to his storytelling.
In addition to writing, he’s the founder and managing partner of Beyond The Fray Publishing and Free Reign Publishing, two successful imprints specializing in true crime, the paranormal, Westerns, and speculative fiction. Under his leadership, they’ve published hundreds of titles, helping new and established authors thrive.
Based in San Diego, Hopf also mentors writers and consults on publishing strategy. His work blends compelling narrative with deep insight, whether chronicling survival, mystery, or the unexplained.
Connect with G. Michael
- Website: http://www.gmichaelhopf.com
- Email: geoff@gmichaelhopf.com
Connect with Kimi Walker:
· Visit: earlyaccountability.com
· LinkedIn: Kimi Walker
· Facebook: Kimi Walker
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kimi (00:26):
Okay, Kimmy Walker here and
welcome to the next episode of
the Early Accountability Podcast.
Excited to have my guest here today.
We have Jeff, who is a marine veteran and
a bestselling author, and he's gonna come
here and talk to the audience today about
how he has published so many books he has.
Tons.
He has two publishing companies, and we're
(00:47):
gonna dive into what it really takes to
stay accountable if you're chasing a big
goal, especially like writing a book.
Jeff, thank you so much for being here.
G. Michael (00:55):
Kimmy, thank
you so much for having me.
I really appreciate it.
Kimi (00:57):
to have you.
This is, I said this is the first time
I'm having like, someone who could come
and talk who has written so many books.
I think this is definitely
something that is new for our show.
I want you to first start by
telling the audience a little bit
about you, who you are, and where
you got to where you're at today.
G. Michael (01:11):
I'm a USA
today bestselling author.
I've, I penned 40 books,
exactly that number.
And was it 12 years?
12 years, 13 years, something like that.
So I'm prolific.
I've written a lot of books
in a short period of time.
I've since gone on in the midst
of writing all those books, I
started two publishing companies.
I've also I'm into some other kind
of more AI leaning companies that are
adjacent and they're complimentary
(01:32):
to the publishing and writing world.
I'm all in all writing.
If there's anything I know how to do, I
know how to write a book and I know how
to publish and market it successfully.
Kimi (01:40):
Okay, what made you write?
What was the motivation
from your first book?
G. Michael (01:44):
This always surprises people,
is that my very first book I published in
2011 was a Children's Illustrated book.
Kimi (01:53):
Wow.
G. Michael (01:54):
Yeah.
So that's what kind of got the
whole creative juices rolling.
Like at night, I had two daughters.
It was like my job.
I jump in bed with them and I read books,
the stack of books on the nightstand.
And I got done one night.
And what we'd finished the book.
I always wanted more.
I got into telling him this
story about this dog called Kiki.
And Kiki would tell we'd go on this
adventures with Kiki all around
the world and all these fun things.
(02:14):
And one night I got done and I
went in, I told, tell my wife.
I was, what would you think
if I wrote a children's book?
Take the story I tell the girls
and turn it into something.
She's fine.
Just you know, don't get
your day job kind of thing.
Okay.
I set about doing it and I got it done and
I promoted it and I actually sold, I got
all my money back 'cause children's books
can be a little bit expensive to produce
because of the illustrations, right?
(02:35):
I really hustled and I was able to
get all my money back and, but that
kind of showed me, okay, so idea.
Layer in discipline and consistency
and there I have a book in my hand.
Okay, that's really cool.
Then I was reading a lot at the time.
This is where it kind
of transition to novels.
I had that done and at the same time
I was doing a lot of reading and there
was a book that I felt was missing.
I was really into the apocalyptic
(02:55):
genre and I was like, okay, if I can't
find it, maybe I'll just write it.
That's what some of the really good
advice I would give writers there is
write a book that you want to read.
Make yourself be the first reader.
Cater to yourself when you write the
book because if you try to write the
book for other people, you sometimes get
(03:16):
out of yourself and to the point where
it, you cannot be in a creative flow.
That way you're not connected.
Always write the book that you wanna
write, that you want to read, and.
I set about to writing it and took
me about 18 months to complete it.
And I was just inspired
by Stephanie Meyer.
Are you familiar with her?
Stephanie Meyer Twilight books, turn
in the movies and things like that.
(03:36):
I'd never read her books.
I still haven't to today.
Sorry Stephanie, but I did see the movies.
But what I loved was her story and.
Her story inspired me as far as how
she started, came with her, the first
book or the idea, and the characters
came as like a dream, and then she
set about to writing it at night.
I essentially just mimicked what she did.
(03:57):
So when the girls were in bed and
the wife was in bed, I literally
considered writing a second job,
and I would sit down at night.
I blocked out a certain amount
of hours, I was very desperate.
The discipline comes in, it's a job.
I've gotta show up for my job.
I'd sit down a few
hours and I would write.
I would commit to doing 2000 plus words.
And then of course, if you do that every
single night, it's just like anything.
(04:19):
You just take discipline,
compounded labor, and then
boom, you've got 2000 words.
You give it 60 days,
you got 120,000 words.
You've got yourself a novel, easily there.
That's what I did based
upon Stephanie's own story.
And then I eventually that turned
into the novel, which I then
had an agent, a fire, the agent
self-published, and the book took off.
And then here I am today.
Kimi (04:39):
What would you tell anyone
who I know you said right from
what you would wanna read?
Would people stay motivated, saying
okay, I don't have an audience yet.
Will this be good?
Will this kind of take off?
What would you say to people who
are like, okay, nobody knows me.
Who am I?
G. Michael (04:54):
I had that same issue.
Nobody knew who I was like I was.
Who am I?
I think this is very important and this
just comes down to mindset, and this is
something I've always had later in life.
I did start to train myself to in that I
only, I know this might sound odd, I only
see what I want to see in my mind's eye.
Kimi (05:12):
Okay.
G. Michael (05:12):
I don't look at the fear, I
acknowledge it's there, or the doubt those
things happen to everybody in life, right?
Doubt, fear, is this gonna work?
I acknowledge it and then I push it aside.
And I was working a job at that time I
was doing underwater construction work.
I was a commercial diver.
So I would be in the water every day
and I would only see book signings.
I would only see people around
(05:32):
the world reading my book.
And there's no.
Exaggeration.
I only saw me being
successful as an author.
I didn't see, who am I, imposter
syndrome stuff, will this work?
I didn't see any of that.
I actually saw book signings and
people reading the book around the
world, and I just pushed all the other
stuff aside and just I get I just
(05:54):
kept doing what I said, I'm an author.
I'm not going to be an author.
These are important words about mindset.
I am an author and what do authors do?
Authors write.
Kimi (06:03):
right.
G. Michael (06:03):
And so I did that
without thinking anything else.
And so that's, I know it, people
are looking probably for something
that, because it can't really con,
oh, I actually, I'll say it this way.
You can control your mind if you really
just don't look at the fear, don't
look at the things not working out.
Look at it that it will work out.
And I really hone that so today that
I look at everything that happens
in my life as an opportunity,
(06:24):
whether it's good or bad.
Even if something bad happens, I reframe
it and I go I always, I only look
then in a bad situation for the good.
I say in everything that happens,
there's something I can find
there that's an opportunity.
I reframe everything.
And so even in then, 'cause my wife and I
weren't doing, we're like, we were having
some struggles at the time financially.
(06:45):
Then I released the book, like sat
on Amazon for about 10 days, just
selling a book here and there.
And I was thinking it'll make at least
enough I can take my wife out for
dinner or something, maybe once a month.
And then 10 days later it just took off.
Kimi (06:57):
Oh
G. Michael (06:57):
And this is
another mindset thing where.
When the door of opportunity is open.
This is when you're at that table,
kinda like the poker table analogy.
You just go all in.
And so I let it sit there and was going.
I was ticking away sales, like
hundreds of sales, hundreds
and just boom was just going.
I went to my wife and I
go, I need to quit my job.
So I can get a sequel out because
the door of opportunity is here.
I need to go in, I need to quit the,
(07:18):
she goes, you can't quit your job.
This is crazy.
But I know my wife well enough that
I presented a spreadsheet that showed
what I'd made in the first month.
I. Versus what we made
the whole year before.
I had made more in that one month
than I'd made the whole year before.
And she goes, okay, good.
Do it.
I quit my job immediately and
set to writing the sequel.
'cause I knew that's a moment that
(07:39):
doesn't come around very often.
If I knew, if I sat around and
took 18 months to write a sequel
I may, might miss my opportunity.
And I still believe today that I made the
right decision because it changed my life.
I wrote the sequel.
The sequel took off.
And then all these publishers are
calling Penguin Random House calls me up
because of how it's selling and said they
wanna sign me to a huge four book deal,
six figure advance, all these things.
(08:00):
It was just a short period of
time, like my entire life changed.
Kimi (08:04):
changed.
G. Michael (08:05):
Yeah.
Just utterly changed and just 'cause
I just stepped out of the fear.
I stepped out of the that doubt.
I only saw what I wanted to
see and I took risks and I took
chances and it worked out for me.
Kimi (08:15):
That's crazy.
You talk a lot.
I know too.
Discipline is big.
That's like a marine mindset, right?
When you're talking about this
and you're talking about these
visualizations this is all I see.
This is the reality of, I see.
How, what would you tell people, or
what would you tell us to look for?
How do we know when we have enough
discipline or when we're leaning
more on inspiration than discipline?
(08:36):
What are some signs to look for in that?
G. Michael (08:38):
that's a good question.
Inspiration can only take you so
far, I think this is where it's in a
harder time where you don't want to
do it, where you then still do it.
That's where discipline's key.
' cause there's moments like it's a Sunday
morning, you don't wanna get up or it's
a Saturday, you just don't wanna do it.
Or so you know, for some friends are going
out and you wanna go out with them, you
still get your word count in and you go,
I'll be there a little bit late because
(08:59):
you're giving, this is what's important.
I think you have to give, you
have to make a pledge to yourself.
So how important are
you to yourself, right?
And, you give yourself that word.
You are like, I'm going to do
this for you, for my future self.
I'm doing this right now.
I'm putting this effort
in and it does pay off.
And so it's in those moments
where again it's harder is where
(09:19):
the discipline means everything.
'cause again, inspiration and
motivation can be fleeting.
You might wake up one morning feeling
really motivated and and or something
bad happens that day, you just don't
wanna sit down and do the work.
That's where the discipline, because
you're doing it for something bigger,
you're, you've got this dream.
And if you look at anyone from sports
athletes across the board or anyone,
they always lean in on discipline.
(09:41):
I was listening to Tom
Brady talk about something.
You think he wanted to go out
there every single time and train.
As long as he was training Tiger Woods
was talking about the same thing like.
Discipline is key because you're
doing it for your future self,
for that dream you want to obtain.
And and this is why you treat
it like a job and like you're
not gonna show up for your job.
Of course you are.
You've, and, but you're
also doing it for yourself.
(10:02):
You're pledging to yourself.
'cause I love myself.
I want my future self to be successful.
I'm going to do this.
I'm gonna dedicate whatever
that an hour a day, or two hours
a day to do this one thing.
No matter what, rain or shine, no matter
what, and that builds, by the way,
when you do that, it builds so much
confidence in yourself as an individual.
It really adds to character, I
believe, because you look at yourself
(10:23):
like, look what I've been able to do.
Especially when you take it out and you
stretch it out over a period of time.
You go, wow, the last six months
I really buckled down you.
You actually are impressed with yourself.
Look what I've accomplished, and
I'm telling you right now, if you
have a book that you wanna write.
You do a thousand words a day?
In two months, that's 60,000 words.
That's a book.
That's a book.
It's in rough draft form,
but it's still a book.
Kimi (10:44):
Yes.
Consistency sounds like it is
part of your accountability.
Like you said, I need to do.
G. Michael (10:48):
Absolutely.
I'm counting to myself and
if I can't be accountable to
myself, this is what I believe.
This is a core value system.
I can't be accountable to anybody.
You have to love yourself, and you
have to be accountable to yourself.
Or if you can't, give yourself your own
word and you violate that, or you lie
to yourself like that you gotta do that.
I think once you have that basis
of a core in yourself, then you
(11:09):
can give that to anybody else.
Kimi (11:10):
So with especially
something like writing a book.
I have I guess it's a two part question.
I guess burnout and ai.
So how do you deal with like burnout or
writer's block or when you just don't have
that creativity or you can't, get past
these thoughts or get them down on paper.
How do you do that?
And then now with the world of ai.
How much do you like, recommend
(11:32):
writers use that or not, or what kind
of balance do you recommend for that?
If it's man, I just can't get this
down, or I can't think this through
what do you feel like is appropriate
or a good gauge for a beginner?
G. Michael (11:45):
Those are two
great questions by the way.
So writer's block, I can
say I've never had it
Kimi (11:52):
Okay.
G. Michael (11:53):
and, but I
will say this I know.
Writer block where people are
paralyzed for months on end.
I guess if I've had moments where I
sit there and I'm looking at something
and I was like, how should I do that?
What I've seen work with other writers
'cause I network with a lot of writers.
That's something I really
think is a key thing to network
with people in your space.
Very important.
But get back to writer block thing.
Anytime I'm just looking at something's,
(12:14):
I wonder what direction I should go there.
I don't consider it writer's
block, but where I'm just sitting
there creatively, I have to remove
myself, get up and move your body.
Get up and go for a walk.
I'm not kidding.
And don't wear a headset.
Just go for a walk and be by yourself.
The process of moving your body
and you're just thinking about
it, you'll start just the wheels.
You, I call it mental writing.
(12:34):
You'll just start just
playing it out in your head.
That's why you can't have distractions
or music and things like that.
Lisa, I can't.
I just don't have anything on it.
I just go out and I'm, I go
out in nature or I just go walk
around the, the neighborhood.
I just look around and as I'm just
processing those story, I'm working it
out and I usually can work through it
fairly quickly, so within a half an hour
to an hour I kind of work through that.
Then I come back.
I either, if I can't get back
(12:55):
to, I will have my phone and I'll
take notes on it or take like a
voice note and just start talking.
Yeah.
Make a, like a make, make a voice memo.
And sometimes I, I knew another
guy, Franklin Horton, he will
does lots of voice memo writing.
He'll go and he can't think of it.
He'll go and he'll just start
talking about the story.
Just start rambling on and
eventually it comes to you.
And also now you're just, and it's there.
(13:16):
And now you've got a record of it.
If you ever get stuck,
just move your body.
Don't be distracted and go do some
mental writing, but move your body.
Go for a walk, go for a long walk.
AI.
This is gonna be, this is gonna
I might be a heretic when I
say this to other writers.
I'm speaking blasphemy now, but I think
if writers or anyone that's creative is
(13:36):
not using ai, they're cheating themselves.
Kimi (13:39):
Yeah.
G. Michael (13:40):
I think the future
is, go the future's here.
I feel like Kimmy, I feel like we are
in 1995 in the dawn of the internet.
That's where we are
Kimi (13:48):
Dial up.
Yeah.
G. Michael (13:49):
now.
And if I don't care where somebody
is, I mean what they do creatively,
if you're not learning how to prompt
like the best prompter in the world
and learning how to leverage that
tool, you will be left behind.
You are gonna get left behind and.
It's a tool, and look at it that way.
Look at it as a resource
for research, for ideas.
(14:11):
It's, the intelligence of
it is getting to the point.
You're able to, you're hiring an
assistant for 20 bucks a month.
That can do little tasks for
Kimi (14:19):
Yeah,
G. Michael (14:20):
that can help.
And so with being a writer is more than
just sitting down and writing if you're,
'cause writing is a business, I think,
by the way, once you become an author and
you're out there you're promoting your
marketing, you're, there's all these other
facets of just, besides just sitting down
and being the storyteller, use AI to help
and assist with all those other things
to free up time so that you can write.
(14:41):
Now, if you're using it
for creative writing.
That's fine too.
I don't have hangups.
I don't use it.
Some of my other companies use it
for some other stuff that we do.
Personally, as a novelist, I don't
use it to help with anything.
I have used it to help
with creating a synopsis.
by the way, what is it about a
synopsis is like those 300 words
are like the hardest words to write.
Kimi (15:02):
got it.
G. Michael (15:03):
They really are like, how
do you take your entire book and then
concise it down to 300 words without
giving away a bunch of spoilers?
And AI has helped me with that.
And it's also helped me with some
plot ideas for some other things that
might some of my other companies.
So I'll jump on there and just
ask it, like gimme some ideas
and it just rattles off stuff.
But I again.
I'm not a ludite, meaning someone who
(15:23):
does, who's afraid of technology, I
think, and there's a lot of writers
that will say anyone who uses it.
They're not like, I don't listen to them.
I just use it, leverage it.
Learn how to use it like a master.
And you're you.
You're not gonna get left behind you.
You gotta embrace it.
Have to.
Kimi (15:41):
Would you put a timeline
or, I guess I would say someone
wants to write their first book.
Would you say put a certain timeline on
how long that it doesn't get drug out to
okay, I've been doing this for the last
three years, or I. What kind of a timeline
do you think they should say to Okay.
From now to first draft,
G. Michael (15:59):
I can write a
book pretty quickly now.
Like I wrote the sequel in two months.
Which 'cause I dedicated all my time to
it, so I was able to do it and I'm able
to do it the most words I've ever written
in a day was 17,000 words when I had
a deadline for Penguin and I wrote it.
By the way, this is the
days I used to drink.
I don't drink anymore.
I did it when I was hung over.
So I was like, I should give
myself an award for that.
But I had this deadline.
(16:21):
I was procrastinating with
Penguin, and I finally told my
wife, like I owe them this book.
It's still gonna be late.
And they'd gimme this big advance.
So I like sat down, hung over
from and it's a horrible story.
Kimi (16:33):
And you direct
G. Michael (16:34):
My daughters are like,
don't let my daughters hear this.
But I no longer drink anymore.
So anyway, the timeline, I think
what I think three years is too long.
I think you're not taking writing serious.
Then.
I know some people might get mad if
I say that, but if you are going to
write, if you want to complete your
book, you have to give yourself a
deadline and you have to commit to it.
(16:55):
Like I said, maybe you don't do seven
days a week, but you treat it like a job.
You'll get the book done,
you'll get the book done.
If you commit to a thousand
words a day, like I said, you do.
A thousand words a day and you do
it for five, that's 20,000 words.
If you just do it like
Monday through Friday, right?
That's five, 20 days, 20,000 words.
If you want, you're shooting for
60,000 words in three months, you'll
(17:17):
have a book and that this is where
the discipline comes down, where
you have to like, you set the goal.
And then you just, you dedicate to
yourself, you make a pledge to yourself.
I'm gonna sit down every night or
whenever that, whenever you find the
time, and I'm gonna write for an hour or
two hours, or whatever that is, and you
just hammer out the words and just go.
Kimi (17:34):
Okay.
This has been great.
This is really informative.
I think you've given us the
clear blueprint for beginner
to published in no time.
So it's actually just disciplining,
getting those schedules down and out.
So Jeff, how would people like
find all your bestsellers?
Where can they go to find all
the books that you publish?
I know you've done self-publishing and
(17:54):
you've been through publishers, where
can people find out more about you?
G. Michael (17:57):
Yeah my website's
the best place, gmic hop.com.
And the books are all on Amazon, or,
ebook, paperback trade, paperback audio.
Some of them are also Barnes and
Noble stores and things like that.
The books that are through penguin.
But yeah, so people wanna reach out to me.
Just there's a contact
form on the websites.
The best place to get ahold of me.
I do respond to all my emails.
And I'll this one kind of.
(18:18):
New writers sometimes will put
obstacles in front of them.
They'll go, oh, before I write this
book, I need to take six months of
creative writing, or, I need to have
a degree in creative writing and or
maybe I should be thinking about a
publisher before I even start writing.
All that's no, just Eris Hemingway,
advice to the new writers.
The same advice I give,
and that is just right.
Just sit down and start writing.
(18:39):
It doesn't have to be perfect.
That's what editors are for.
That's truly, that's what be,
and this is something too.
Be the storyteller.
You're not an editor, you're not
a proofreader, not a formatter.
You're the author.
Be the storyteller.
Put the words on the page.
You don't have to be the best
writer from, I'm horrible when
it comes to grammar and stuff.
That's, again, that's
what editors are for,
Kimi (18:58):
Got it.
G. Michael (18:59):
and be the
storyteller and just sit down
with discipline and consistency.
And you'll have a book in
the end, I guarantee it.
Kimi (19:07):
Thank you so much.
We really enjoyed having you on the show.
Why don't you leave us with, what
are some words that you live by?
What's one of your favorite mantras?
G. Michael (19:14):
That's the
thing I always tell authors.
It's very common for new authors to
put obstacles in front of their way.
Because they don't want to have the
come face to face with completing the
book possibly, and it not doing well.
But if you really wanna write
the book, you just have to write.
That's what writers do.
You just write, you don't edit, you
don't do all these other things.
You don't worry about coverage.
You don't worry about editors,
you don't worry about publishers.
You don't worry about, what
should I do This, should it.
You don't worry about any of those things.
(19:34):
Where am I gonna market it?
All that comes after you
have the book done anyway.
So Janice, do you have
a book you wanna do?
Just write it.
Kimi (19:41):
Okay.
Jeff, we're gonna make sure to
have all of this in the show notes.
We'll have all the links where people
can go to get all your books, any version
like you said, eBooks, audio and just
find out more about your stay in contact.
Thank you so much for coming
on the show and just giving
us all of this information.
This was really good.
It was really informative and I'm
so appreciative that you come on
the show and giving us all of this
information, all of your expertise.
Thank you so
G. Michael (20:01):
I appreciate you, Kim.
Thank you.
Kimi (20:03):
Oh, thank you.
Until next time.
Okay, Kimmy Walker here and
welcome to the next episode of
the Early Accountability Podcast.
Excited to have my guest here today.
We have Jeff, who is a marine veteran and
a bestselling author, and he's gonna come
here and talk to the audience today about
how he has published so many books he has.
Tons.
He has two publishing companies, and we're
(00:47):
gonna dive into what it really takes to
stay accountable if you're chasing a big
goal, especially like writing a book.
Jeff, thank you so much for being here.
G. Michael (00:55):
Kimmy, thank
you so much for having me.
I really appreciate it.
Kimi (00:57):
to have you.
This is, I said this is the first time
I'm having like, someone who could come
and talk who has written so many books.
I think this is definitely
something that is new for our show.
I want you to first start by
telling the audience a little bit
about you, who you are, and where
you got to where you're at today.
G. Michael (01:11):
I'm a USA
today bestselling author.
I've, I penned 40 books,
exactly that number.
And was it 12 years?
12 years, 13 years, something like that.
So I'm prolific.
I've written a lot of books
in a short period of time.
I've since gone on in the midst
of writing all those books, I
started two publishing companies.
I've also I'm into some other kind
of more AI leaning companies that are
adjacent and they're complimentary
(01:32):
to the publishing and writing world.
I'm all in all writing.
If there's anything I know how to do, I
know how to write a book and I know how
to publish and market it successfully.
Kimi (01:40):
Okay, what made you write?
What was the motivation
from your first book?
G. Michael (01:44):
This always surprises people,
is that my very first book I published in
2011 was a Children's Illustrated book.
Kimi (01:53):
Wow.
G. Michael (01:54):
Yeah.
So that's what kind of got the
whole creative juices rolling.
Like at night, I had two daughters.
It was like my job.
I jump in bed with them and I read books,
the stack of books on the nightstand.
And I got done one night.
And what we'd finished the book.
I always wanted more.
I got into telling him this
story about this dog called Kiki.
And Kiki would tell we'd go on this
adventures with Kiki all around
the world and all these fun things.
(02:14):
And one night I got done and I
went in, I told, tell my wife.
I was, what would you think
if I wrote a children's book?
Take the story I tell the girls
and turn it into something.
She's fine.
Just you know, don't get
your day job kind of thing.
Okay.
I set about doing it and I got it done and
I promoted it and I actually sold, I got
all my money back 'cause children's books
can be a little bit expensive to produce
because of the illustrations, right?
(02:35):
I really hustled and I was able to
get all my money back and, but that
kind of showed me, okay, so idea.
Layer in discipline and consistency
and there I have a book in my hand.
Okay, that's really cool.
Then I was reading a lot at the time.
This is where it kind
of transition to novels.
I had that done and at the same time
I was doing a lot of reading and there
was a book that I felt was missing.
I was really into the apocalyptic
(02:55):
genre and I was like, okay, if I can't
find it, maybe I'll just write it.
That's what some of the really good
advice I would give writers there is
write a book that you want to read.
Make yourself be the first reader.
Cater to yourself when you write the
book because if you try to write the
book for other people, you sometimes get
(03:16):
out of yourself and to the point where
it, you cannot be in a creative flow.
That way you're not connected.
Always write the book that you wanna
write, that you want to read, and.
I set about to writing it and took
me about 18 months to complete it.
And I was just inspired
by Stephanie Meyer.
Are you familiar with her?
Stephanie Meyer Twilight books, turn
in the movies and things like that.
(03:36):
I'd never read her books.
I still haven't to today.
Sorry Stephanie, but I did see the movies.
But what I loved was her story and.
Her story inspired me as far as how
she started, came with her, the first
book or the idea, and the characters
came as like a dream, and then she
set about to writing it at night.
I essentially just mimicked what she did.
(03:57):
So when the girls were in bed and
the wife was in bed, I literally
considered writing a second job,
and I would sit down at night.
I blocked out a certain amount
of hours, I was very desperate.
The discipline comes in, it's a job.
I've gotta show up for my job.
I'd sit down a few
hours and I would write.
I would commit to doing 2000 plus words.
And then of course, if you do that every
single night, it's just like anything.
(04:19):
You just take discipline,
compounded labor, and then
boom, you've got 2000 words.
You give it 60 days,
you got 120,000 words.
You've got yourself a novel, easily there.
That's what I did based
upon Stephanie's own story.
And then I eventually that turned
into the novel, which I then
had an agent, a fire, the agent
self-published, and the book took off.
And then here I am today.
Kimi (04:39):
What would you tell anyone
who I know you said right from
what you would wanna read?
Would people stay motivated, saying
okay, I don't have an audience yet.
Will this be good?
Will this kind of take off?
What would you say to people who
are like, okay, nobody knows me.
Who am I?
G. Michael (04:54):
I had that same issue.
Nobody knew who I was like I was.
Who am I?
I think this is very important and this
just comes down to mindset, and this is
something I've always had later in life.
I did start to train myself to in that I
only, I know this might sound odd, I only
see what I want to see in my mind's eye.
Kimi (05:12):
Okay.
G. Michael (05:12):
I don't look at the fear, I
acknowledge it's there, or the doubt those
things happen to everybody in life, right?
Doubt, fear, is this gonna work?
I acknowledge it and then I push it aside.
And I was working a job at that time I
was doing underwater construction work.
I was a commercial diver.
So I would be in the water every day
and I would only see book signings.
I would only see people around
(05:32):
the world reading my book.
And there's no.
Exaggeration.
I only saw me being
successful as an author.
I didn't see, who am I, imposter
syndrome stuff, will this work?
I didn't see any of that.
I actually saw book signings and
people reading the book around the
world, and I just pushed all the other
stuff aside and just I get I just
(05:54):
kept doing what I said, I'm an author.
I'm not going to be an author.
These are important words about mindset.
I am an author and what do authors do?
Authors write.
Kimi (06:03):
right.
G. Michael (06:03):
And so I did that
without thinking anything else.
And so that's, I know it, people
are looking probably for something
that, because it can't really con,
oh, I actually, I'll say it this way.
You can control your mind if you really
just don't look at the fear, don't
look at the things not working out.
Look at it that it will work out.
And I really hone that so today that
I look at everything that happens
in my life as an opportunity,
(06:24):
whether it's good or bad.
Even if something bad happens, I reframe
it and I go I always, I only look
then in a bad situation for the good.
I say in everything that happens,
there's something I can find
there that's an opportunity.
I reframe everything.
And so even in then, 'cause my wife and I
weren't doing, we're like, we were having
some struggles at the time financially.
(06:45):
Then I released the book, like sat
on Amazon for about 10 days, just
selling a book here and there.
And I was thinking it'll make at least
enough I can take my wife out for
dinner or something, maybe once a month.
And then 10 days later it just took off.
Kimi (06:57):
Oh
G. Michael (06:57):
And this is
another mindset thing where.
When the door of opportunity is open.
This is when you're at that table,
kinda like the poker table analogy.
You just go all in.
And so I let it sit there and was going.
I was ticking away sales, like
hundreds of sales, hundreds
and just boom was just going.
I went to my wife and I
go, I need to quit my job.
So I can get a sequel out because
the door of opportunity is here.
I need to go in, I need to quit the,
(07:18):
she goes, you can't quit your job.
This is crazy.
But I know my wife well enough that
I presented a spreadsheet that showed
what I'd made in the first month.
I. Versus what we made
the whole year before.
I had made more in that one month
than I'd made the whole year before.
And she goes, okay, good.
Do it.
I quit my job immediately and
set to writing the sequel.
'cause I knew that's a moment that
(07:39):
doesn't come around very often.
If I knew, if I sat around and
took 18 months to write a sequel
I may, might miss my opportunity.
And I still believe today that I made the
right decision because it changed my life.
I wrote the sequel.
The sequel took off.
And then all these publishers are
calling Penguin Random House calls me up
because of how it's selling and said they
wanna sign me to a huge four book deal,
six figure advance, all these things.
(08:00):
It was just a short period of
time, like my entire life changed.
Kimi (08:04):
changed.
G. Michael (08:05):
Yeah.
Just utterly changed and just 'cause
I just stepped out of the fear.
I stepped out of the that doubt.
I only saw what I wanted to
see and I took risks and I took
chances and it worked out for me.
Kimi (08:15):
That's crazy.
You talk a lot.
I know too.
Discipline is big.
That's like a marine mindset, right?
When you're talking about this
and you're talking about these
visualizations this is all I see.
This is the reality of, I see.
How, what would you tell people, or
what would you tell us to look for?
How do we know when we have enough
discipline or when we're leaning
more on inspiration than discipline?
(08:36):
What are some signs to look for in that?
G. Michael (08:38):
that's a good question.
Inspiration can only take you so
far, I think this is where it's in a
harder time where you don't want to
do it, where you then still do it.
That's where discipline's key.
' cause there's moments like it's a Sunday
morning, you don't wanna get up or it's
a Saturday, you just don't wanna do it.
Or so you know, for some friends are going
out and you wanna go out with them, you
still get your word count in and you go,
I'll be there a little bit late because
(08:59):
you're giving, this is what's important.
I think you have to give, you
have to make a pledge to yourself.
So how important are
you to yourself, right?
And, you give yourself that word.
You are like, I'm going to do
this for you, for my future self.
I'm doing this right now.
I'm putting this effort
in and it does pay off.
And so it's in those moments
where again it's harder is where
(09:19):
the discipline means everything.
'cause again, inspiration and
motivation can be fleeting.
You might wake up one morning feeling
really motivated and and or something
bad happens that day, you just don't
wanna sit down and do the work.
That's where the discipline, because
you're doing it for something bigger,
you're, you've got this dream.
And if you look at anyone from sports
athletes across the board or anyone,
they always lean in on discipline.
(09:41):
I was listening to Tom
Brady talk about something.
You think he wanted to go out
there every single time and train.
As long as he was training Tiger Woods
was talking about the same thing like.
Discipline is key because you're
doing it for your future self,
for that dream you want to obtain.
And and this is why you treat
it like a job and like you're
not gonna show up for your job.
Of course you are.
You've, and, but you're
also doing it for yourself.
(10:02):
You're pledging to yourself.
'cause I love myself.
I want my future self to be successful.
I'm going to do this.
I'm gonna dedicate whatever
that an hour a day, or two hours
a day to do this one thing.
No matter what, rain or shine, no matter
what, and that builds, by the way,
when you do that, it builds so much
confidence in yourself as an individual.
It really adds to character, I
believe, because you look at yourself
(10:23):
like, look what I've been able to do.
Especially when you take it out and you
stretch it out over a period of time.
You go, wow, the last six months
I really buckled down you.
You actually are impressed with yourself.
Look what I've accomplished, and
I'm telling you right now, if you
have a book that you wanna write.
You do a thousand words a day?
In two months, that's 60,000 words.
That's a book.
That's a book.
It's in rough draft form,
but it's still a book.
Kimi (10:44):
Yes.
Consistency sounds like it is
part of your accountability.
Like you said, I need to do.
G. Michael (10:48):
Absolutely.
I'm counting to myself and
if I can't be accountable to
myself, this is what I believe.
This is a core value system.
I can't be accountable to anybody.
You have to love yourself, and you
have to be accountable to yourself.
Or if you can't, give yourself your own
word and you violate that, or you lie
to yourself like that you gotta do that.
I think once you have that basis
of a core in yourself, then you
(11:09):
can give that to anybody else.
Kimi (11:10):
So with especially
something like writing a book.
I have I guess it's a two part question.
I guess burnout and ai.
So how do you deal with like burnout or
writer's block or when you just don't have
that creativity or you can't, get past
these thoughts or get them down on paper.
How do you do that?
And then now with the world of ai.
How much do you like, recommend
(11:32):
writers use that or not, or what kind
of balance do you recommend for that?
If it's man, I just can't get this
down, or I can't think this through
what do you feel like is appropriate
or a good gauge for a beginner?
G. Michael (11:45):
Those are two
great questions by the way.
So writer's block, I can
say I've never had it
Kimi (11:52):
Okay.
G. Michael (11:53):
and, but I
will say this I know.
Writer block where people are
paralyzed for months on end.
I guess if I've had moments where I
sit there and I'm looking at something
and I was like, how should I do that?
What I've seen work with other writers
'cause I network with a lot of writers.
That's something I really
think is a key thing to network
with people in your space.
Very important.
But get back to writer block thing.
Anytime I'm just looking at something's,
(12:14):
I wonder what direction I should go there.
I don't consider it writer's
block, but where I'm just sitting
there creatively, I have to remove
myself, get up and move your body.
Get up and go for a walk.
I'm not kidding.
And don't wear a headset.
Just go for a walk and be by yourself.
The process of moving your body
and you're just thinking about
it, you'll start just the wheels.
You, I call it mental writing.
(12:34):
You'll just start just
playing it out in your head.
That's why you can't have distractions
or music and things like that.
Lisa, I can't.
I just don't have anything on it.
I just go out and I'm, I go
out in nature or I just go walk
around the, the neighborhood.
I just look around and as I'm just
processing those story, I'm working it
out and I usually can work through it
fairly quickly, so within a half an hour
to an hour I kind of work through that.
Then I come back.
I either, if I can't get back
(12:55):
to, I will have my phone and I'll
take notes on it or take like a
voice note and just start talking.
Yeah.
Make a, like a make, make a voice memo.
And sometimes I, I knew another
guy, Franklin Horton, he will
does lots of voice memo writing.
He'll go and he can't think of it.
He'll go and he'll just start
talking about the story.
Just start rambling on and
eventually it comes to you.
And also now you're just, and it's there.
(13:16):
And now you've got a record of it.
If you ever get stuck,
just move your body.
Don't be distracted and go do some
mental writing, but move your body.
Go for a walk, go for a long walk.
AI.
This is gonna be, this is gonna
I might be a heretic when I
say this to other writers.
I'm speaking blasphemy now, but I think
if writers or anyone that's creative is
(13:36):
not using ai, they're cheating themselves.
Kimi (13:39):
Yeah.
G. Michael (13:40):
I think the future
is, go the future's here.
I feel like Kimmy, I feel like we are
in 1995 in the dawn of the internet.
That's where we are
Kimi (13:48):
Dial up.
Yeah.
G. Michael (13:49):
now.
And if I don't care where somebody
is, I mean what they do creatively,
if you're not learning how to prompt
like the best prompter in the world
and learning how to leverage that
tool, you will be left behind.
You are gonna get left behind and.
It's a tool, and look at it that way.
Look at it as a resource
for research, for ideas.
(14:11):
It's, the intelligence of
it is getting to the point.
You're able to, you're hiring an
assistant for 20 bucks a month.
That can do little tasks for
Kimi (14:19):
Yeah,
G. Michael (14:20):
that can help.
And so with being a writer is more than
just sitting down and writing if you're,
'cause writing is a business, I think,
by the way, once you become an author and
you're out there you're promoting your
marketing, you're, there's all these other
facets of just, besides just sitting down
and being the storyteller, use AI to help
and assist with all those other things
to free up time so that you can write.
(14:41):
Now, if you're using it
for creative writing.
That's fine too.
I don't have hangups.
I don't use it.
Some of my other companies use it
for some other stuff that we do.
Personally, as a novelist, I don't
use it to help with anything.
I have used it to help
with creating a synopsis.
by the way, what is it about a
synopsis is like those 300 words
are like the hardest words to write.
Kimi (15:02):
got it.
G. Michael (15:03):
They really are like, how
do you take your entire book and then
concise it down to 300 words without
giving away a bunch of spoilers?
And AI has helped me with that.
And it's also helped me with some
plot ideas for some other things that
might some of my other companies.
So I'll jump on there and just
ask it, like gimme some ideas
and it just rattles off stuff.
But I again.
I'm not a ludite, meaning someone who
(15:23):
does, who's afraid of technology, I
think, and there's a lot of writers
that will say anyone who uses it.
They're not like, I don't listen to them.
I just use it, leverage it.
Learn how to use it like a master.
And you're you.
You're not gonna get left behind you.
You gotta embrace it.
Have to.
Kimi (15:41):
Would you put a timeline
or, I guess I would say someone
wants to write their first book.
Would you say put a certain timeline on
how long that it doesn't get drug out to
okay, I've been doing this for the last
three years, or I. What kind of a timeline
do you think they should say to Okay.
From now to first draft,
G. Michael (15:59):
I can write a
book pretty quickly now.
Like I wrote the sequel in two months.
Which 'cause I dedicated all my time to
it, so I was able to do it and I'm able
to do it the most words I've ever written
in a day was 17,000 words when I had
a deadline for Penguin and I wrote it.
By the way, this is the
days I used to drink.
I don't drink anymore.
I did it when I was hung over.
So I was like, I should give
myself an award for that.
But I had this deadline.
(16:21):
I was procrastinating with
Penguin, and I finally told my
wife, like I owe them this book.
It's still gonna be late.
And they'd gimme this big advance.
So I like sat down, hung over
from and it's a horrible story.
Kimi (16:33):
And you direct
G. Michael (16:34):
My daughters are like,
don't let my daughters hear this.
But I no longer drink anymore.
So anyway, the timeline, I think
what I think three years is too long.
I think you're not taking writing serious.
Then.
I know some people might get mad if
I say that, but if you are going to
write, if you want to complete your
book, you have to give yourself a
deadline and you have to commit to it.
(16:55):
Like I said, maybe you don't do seven
days a week, but you treat it like a job.
You'll get the book done,
you'll get the book done.
If you commit to a thousand
words a day, like I said, you do.
A thousand words a day and you do
it for five, that's 20,000 words.
If you just do it like
Monday through Friday, right?
That's five, 20 days, 20,000 words.
If you want, you're shooting for
60,000 words in three months, you'll
(17:17):
have a book and that this is where
the discipline comes down, where
you have to like, you set the goal.
And then you just, you dedicate to
yourself, you make a pledge to yourself.
I'm gonna sit down every night or
whenever that, whenever you find the
time, and I'm gonna write for an hour or
two hours, or whatever that is, and you
just hammer out the words and just go.
Kimi (17:34):
Okay.
This has been great.
This is really informative.
I think you've given us the
clear blueprint for beginner
to published in no time.
So it's actually just disciplining,
getting those schedules down and out.
So Jeff, how would people like
find all your bestsellers?
Where can they go to find all
the books that you publish?
I know you've done self-publishing and
(17:54):
you've been through publishers, where
can people find out more about you?
G. Michael (17:57):
Yeah my website's
the best place, gmic hop.com.
And the books are all on Amazon, or,
ebook, paperback trade, paperback audio.
Some of them are also Barnes and
Noble stores and things like that.
The books that are through penguin.
But yeah, so people wanna reach out to me.
Just there's a contact
form on the websites.
The best place to get ahold of me.
I do respond to all my emails.
And I'll this one kind of.
(18:18):
New writers sometimes will put
obstacles in front of them.
They'll go, oh, before I write this
book, I need to take six months of
creative writing, or, I need to have
a degree in creative writing and or
maybe I should be thinking about a
publisher before I even start writing.
All that's no, just Eris Hemingway,
advice to the new writers.
The same advice I give,
and that is just right.
Just sit down and start writing.
(18:39):
It doesn't have to be perfect.
That's what editors are for.
That's truly, that's what be,
and this is something too.
Be the storyteller.
You're not an editor, you're not
a proofreader, not a formatter.
You're the author.
Be the storyteller.
Put the words on the page.
You don't have to be the best
writer from, I'm horrible when
it comes to grammar and stuff.
That's, again, that's
what editors are for,
Kimi (18:58):
Got it.
G. Michael (18:59):
and be the
storyteller and just sit down
with discipline and consistency.
And you'll have a book in
the end, I guarantee it.
Kimi (19:07):
Thank you so much.
We really enjoyed having you on the show.
Why don't you leave us with, what
are some words that you live by?
What's one of your favorite mantras?
G. Michael (19:14):
That's the
thing I always tell authors.
It's very common for new authors to
put obstacles in front of their way.
Because they don't want to have the
come face to face with completing the
book possibly, and it not doing well.
But if you really wanna write
the book, you just have to write.
That's what writers do.
You just write, you don't edit, you
don't do all these other things.
You don't worry about coverage.
You don't worry about editors,
you don't worry about publishers.
You don't worry about, what
should I do This, should it.
You don't worry about any of those things.
(19:34):
Where am I gonna market it?
All that comes after you
have the book done anyway.
So Janice, do you have
a book you wanna do?
Just write it.
Kimi (19:41):
Okay.
Jeff, we're gonna make sure to
have all of this in the show notes.
We'll have all the links where people
can go to get all your books, any version
like you said, eBooks, audio and just
find out more about your stay in contact.
Thank you so much for coming
on the show and just giving
us all of this information.
This was really good.
It was really informative and I'm
so appreciative that you come on
the show and giving us all of this
information, all of your expertise.
Thank you so
G. Michael (20:01):
I appreciate you, Kim.
Thank you.
Kimi (20:03):
Oh, thank you.
Until next time.
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