When did you become a writer?

For myself, I had been a writing since elementary school. I began as a playwright. I would write one-act comedy skits I would coerce my friends into performing with me. Fortunately for me, the teachers at Leedom Elementary School were very encouraging, and they always managed to find a little class time for us to perform. Of course, I was the star. I usually played an old lady on the order of Gladys Ormphby, and I remember falling down often, using slapstick to get laughs.

For Dan Cohen, though he had always dabbled in writing, the start came well after elementary school. Dan’s father suffered a stroke, which gradually brought on dementia. Dan’s journey into writing began when his father briefly awoke from dementia, an experience so powerful that Dan felt compelled to share it with others. He wrote a piece for Medium without expecting much, yet it reached a wide audience and drew an outpouring of gratitude and personal stories from readers. For years the response stayed with him. He knew his father’s experience had touched something universal, and he wanted to carry that connection forward.

Dan continued to write, unsure where it would lead, until he realized he wanted to speak to families and caregivers in a more direct way. That insight sparked the idea for both a podcast and a companion book that would honor his father’s life and offer hope to others facing difficult diagnoses. He and I met through a platform that helps match podcast hosts with potential guests. Dan visited our site, booked a call, and soon we were working together. What began as an editorial consultation grew into a full publishing partnership.

Authors often wonder, in a partner-publishing situation, what their relationship with their publisher is going to be like. It’s a very important question, because there are many ways it can go. Working with Dan, we decided between us to really share the costs and rewards. Sometimes authors need different things, so Dave and I work on listening to what the author needs, and shaping our work to suit both the author and the book. Authors seeking a partner publisher really need to compare. I research partner publishers all the time. I recently visited one publishing company site that claimed the only expense for the author was the print run. But authors had to seek out their own editing, or pay the company extra, and the print run was fourteen grand. My chin was literally on the floor, because you could publish three books with us for that price and still have some left over.

Yesterday I published a full interview with Dan on Authors Electric, a companion site I use to write about myself, writing, and to interview our authors. It’s also a partnership situation. All Authors Electric writers contribute on their schedules, so they can co-promote the site, and each other. Authors Electric is a great place to read a lot of diverse thoughts on the writing life.

We’re almost done producing Dan’s book. It’s releasing January 13, 2026, but we’re going to remain involved with Dan. Like all our authors, he’ll have access to to our monthly marketing meetings, and our Google Drive of resources for authors. I remember when Dan reached out to us initially last summer. He was in a bit of a hurry to meet us. Dan had made up his mind not only to finish the book he’d been working on for years, but also to launch a companion podcast. Our first goal was to encourage him to get on a schedule and finish his book. He came to us bursting with ideas, and it’s been really great working with such an enthusiastic person.

We strive to become friends with each of our authors, because we get emotionally invested in their books. It often happens that authors publish one book only. It seems to be enough for some writers, and they go on with their lives. And that’s okay. We also really like to keep looking for ways we can promote their books, and encourage them to keep writing. I really feel that most authors would never get published if they didn’t do it all themselves, or find someone to partner with, and that seems patently unfair to me. Some partner publishers offer reasonable services for reasonable fees, others bill for every Zoom call, every few minutes of their time, like lawyers. That ain’t us.

We got to meet Dan in person when he came to Los Angeles to visit his cousin over the summer. We met him and Robin, his squeeze, for breakfast. It was great.

I’m really excited about Dan’s book. I think it came together beautifully, and it really honors his dad, while reaching out to help others too. If you’ve had a similar experience, Dan would be interested in hearing from you.

When I was doing my eight-year-old version of Gladys Ormphby, I had friends who made realizing my dream of getting laughs possible. Sometimes the thing we want most to do requires help. Dave and I strive to be true partners and publishing friends. When I finish writing this, Dave’s gonna stop what he’s doing, check my spelling, and ensure that this post makes sense. I could keep checking over it on my own, but it’s easier and better with a second set of eyes, especially when those eyes care about you.

I feel really lucky we met Dan. I’m so excited to be a part of his project. Dan is a dreamer with verve and a heart that wants to keep his dad alive, and reach out to help others. Basically, he’s my kinda guy. I think we’re days away form ordering a print proof, and I’m pretty excited. I know Dan is too.