Meet Wayne Kramer

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Wayne Kramer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Wayne below.

Hi Wayne, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

Over the years, I’ve seen so many people, in both business and personal endeavors, simply throw up their hands and give up on something they really wanted. I get it – sometimes you’re told “no.” Sometimes you run into what feels like a brick wall that you can’t get around.

But, in my experience, I’ve come to find that the statement “where there’s a will, there’s a way” is generally true. If there’s something you really want, something you really believe in, something that’s worth fighting for – then it’s worth going the extra mile. Question the answers you receive. Ignore the naysayers. Find a way to make your case. Find those angles that others might not think of. If you really believe in something, don’t be quick to give up on it.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

There’s never a dull moment for me. I never have moments of boredom. There is absolutely ALWAYS something I can be working on, and otherwise several ways that I allow myself to relax and unwind. I own two businesses – one as an author/publisher and another in medical equipment parts sales. I have five children with my wife, Kaly. My mountain of responsibilities is huge, but I absolutely love what I do. I believe that’s key. When you do something you believe in – something you enjoy – then you’ll never really feel like you’re working. That in itself is a huge blessing.

As an author, I currently have two series: Penny Pangolin children’s picture books and Heroes of Time YA fantasy novels.

I love that what I do has allowed me to meet so many great friends and colleagues and to see so many amazing places all around the world.

SIX Penny Pangolin books are launching on October 1, 2025. (Three are relaunching with new covers and three are brand-new stories.) These books are also launching with brand-new audiobooks, narrated by David McCormack, the voice of Bandit Heeler (Bluey’s dad) from the hit show BLUEY, which is super exciting and super fun. The hardcover books include these audiobooks as a free download. The books themselves feature animal characters, highlighting endangered animals like pangolins and red pandas, and are fun stories wrapped around central themes like bullying, friendship, responsibility (and taking care of a pet), forgiveness, food sensitivity, sportsmanship, and screentime. The messages are timely and relevant for kids today.

In Heroes of Time, I just completed my next novel, “Heroes of Time Legends: Spiritual Guide,” which is a direct sequel to the prequel volume “The Healer.” This book is in editing right now, with the same editor used by highly acclaimed fantasy author Michael J. Sullivan, and will launch in early 2026.

I hope you check out my work and am confident you will not be disappointed.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Ambition, purpose, and passion. Knowledge and skill are important but are ultimately driven by the others.

You have to believe in what you’re doing. If you don’t, then you probably should be doing something else. In whatever you’re doing, give it your best. Strive for above and beyond. Aim to impress. That’s how you get noticed. That’s how you ascend. Even if you’re in a job or task you don’t really enjoy, be at your best, because one thing can always lead to something better.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

As an indie author, finding the audience for my books and standing out in the crowd are huge challenges. I think pretty much every indie author feels the pain on this one. I’m constantly trying to figure this one out – I can’t really say I’m there yet. But I have learned some important things along the way.

For one, it’s very hard to buy your way to success in the creative field. Money helps with many things, sure, but if you haven’t developed a quality product and enough of a core audience at the foundational level, lots of money amounts to a bigger bonfire.

In publishing my first novel, I had hired a publishing service to guide me through the process. That in itself cost a lot more than it should have, but I distinctly remember feeling like I wanted (even expected) that very first novel to just be a bestseller. I quickly found it wasn’t so easy. I invested a lot money in marketing early on that I really shouldn’t have, because one debut novel simply isn’t enough to warranty lots of marketing spend.

I’ve learned to step back a bit and focus the most on developing more quality content. As an author, the first focus should ALWAYS be on writing a great book. You have to know it’s great because other people love it through alpha and beta reading. You have to make sure it’s quality through proper professional editing, formatting, and cover illustration (done by HUMANS, I’d like to add, not AI). Then, try to get a core group of fans who will rave about it. This is something I could’ve done better myself earlier and am still improving upon, but I’m convinced it’s the best way to go. Once you have that kind of momentum, then more and more marketing spend will likely make sense.

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