In this Business Blast Podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews author Nancy J. Cohen, creator of the Bad Hair Day Mystery Series. Cohen shares how her perseverance through nursing school—nearly failing labor and delivery and pediatrics—taught her the persistence needed for writing. She explains the modern publishing landscape, outlining choices among independent publishing, small presses, and traditional routes, emphasizing the need for a polished, professional product and noting the booming audiobook market. Cohen offers general business advice to be kind and supportive to fellow authors, reflecting a "what goes around comes around" philosophy. She advises her younger self to stick to one genre rather than hopping between romance and mystery, suggesting genre focus can accelerate a writing career. Discussing happiness, she stresses the importance of family and friends over a consuming writing career. Cohen cites the Horatio Hornblower series as her favorite read, highlighting character growth across a series as essential for reader engagement. Her favorite quote, "Never give up, never surrender" from the film Galaxy Quest, encapsulates her writer mindset. Finally, she directs listeners to her website NancyJCohen.com, Audible, and other social media platforms for connection.
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Welcome to the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Nancy J. Cohen with us. She is the author of the Bad Hair Day Mystery Series. So welcome to the show, Nancy.
Thanks so much for having me, Tyler. I'm excited to be here.
Of course, we're excited to have you, and we will dive into the first one. The first question I have for you, Nancy, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
I think what I learned when I went through nursing school— I am an RN and I worked for 10 years as a nurse, but I nearly flunked out twice. I nearly failed labor and delivery and pediatrics classes because I lacked experience in those areas, but I stuck with it. I persevered. I did not quit and I did not give up. And these are qualities that are really important for a writer to have. I think it's where I learned to be determined and to, uh, that persistence pays. You have to have faith in yourself and keep going.
And what's the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Writers today have many choices in the publishing world. You can become independently published, you can seek a small press, You can go with traditional publishing. So we have many choices available to us. I think you need to decide what your goals are and what audience you wish to reach. And whichever way you choose, you need a polished professional product. That's really important. I'm also excited about audiobooks, which I have several of my books in today, because that seems to be a booming market as well.
Agreed. And what is your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily industry specific.
I would say be kind to others. Because if you help others, especially along the same path that you took, you're giving back what you got from others in return. And you never know when this will come in handy. It's true what they say, what goes around comes around. Just be nice, be kind, and support your fellow authors.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
I would have advised myself to stick with one genre because I started out writing romance, then I switched to mysteries, and then I jumped back and forth between romance and mystery. I think I should have just stuck with one genre, knowing now what I did I didn't know back then. I might have started writing novels earlier too, but sometimes you really don't know until you see what response you get from readers.
And in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
You have to realize what really matters, and that may not be your writing career. It's more important to focus on family and friends and not to forget about them. Because writing can be all-consuming. You can get caught up in your book, you get caught up in marketing, and you forget the things that are more important. So it's really important to step back and gain some perspective on things.
And this will be a great question for you. What is the best book that you've read? And what was the number one thing you learned from it?
I would say the best series actually I read were the Horacio Hornblower books. Because from this entire series, I learned how important it is for character growth. Your main character has to grow and change throughout the course of a series. This is what draws readers back. This is what they want to learn more about. So your main character's evolution is critical to the success of a series.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
My favorite quote is, "Never give up, never surrender." This is from Galaxy Quest, one of my favorite movies, and it applies 100% to writers.
Amazing. Thank you so much for coming on, Nancy. The last question I have for you before we let you go is, where's the best place for people to find you online?
You can find me at NancyJCohen.com. I'm also on Audible for audiobooks. And on any other social media site you can find, I'm there. So I hope to see some new friends online. And I really appreciate your having me here too.
Of course, we appreciate you coming on and we will talk with you soon. Thanks again, Nancy.
Thank you, Tyler Wagner.
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