Click Here to ask your book writing and publishing questions!

When people talk about selling 867,386 books (in a week), it sounds good. It's also probably a lie; most authors intent on making an impact on their readers, whether through entertainment, education, insights, or all three, have no idea what the numbers really are. That's not their focus.

What is their focus is the ONE person who needs their message and will be so grateful to have it in their life.

(And if one person will love it, two will. Twenty will. 1000 will. We start with one.)

In this episode of the Write the Damn Book Already podcast, Cara Sapida and I chatted about her book, Not the Breast Year of My Life (which, as of this posting, already has 66 5-star reviews on Amazon). 

 INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

• What compelled Cara to write a book on a topic that’s quite saturated in the book world
• How, when initially blogging about her breast cancer diagnosis and experience, she filtered out comments that didn’t serve her
• What someone in the publishing community said to her early on about her book that could have kept it off the market forever (and not in of the hands of at least 1,000 individuals who are already so grateful for it!)
• Her thoughts, as an ambivert (part introvert, part extrovert), on having a book signing versus a book reading
• The heavily misunderstood comme

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Access the first 6 modules of my newest course FOR FREE and see if the full course is right for you right here: 

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/freetrial

Get the first draft of your nonfiction or memoir written in 33 days!

...even if you don't have a cabin in the wilderness, 4 uninterrupted hours a day to write, or confidence that you're a "real" writer. No overwhelm, no confusion. Just simple, actionable steps.

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook/writethebook

AWESOME EMAIL TEMPLATES FOR AUTHORS 

From communicating with your launch team to building incredible relationships with readers, my customizable templates take all the guesswork out of writing emails that turn email subscribers into loyal fans. 

🎉 CLICK HERE to access to the templates

Support the show

Write the Damn Book Already is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with authors as well as updates and insights on writing craft and the publishing industry.

Available wherever podcasts are available:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube

Let's Connect!
Instagram
Website

Email the show: elizabeth [at] elizabethlyons [dot] com

The podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores.

To see all the ways we can work together to get your book written and published, visit publishaprofitablebook.com/work-with-elizabeth

Click Here to ask your book writing and publishing questions!

Sam Garcia's first book, Regenerative Business: How to Align Your Business with Nature for More Abundance, Fulfillment, and Impact made quite a (quiet but impactful) splash right out of the gate.

It sold 2,589 copies in its first 30 hours on the market and hit #1 on several (large and relevant) Amazon lists, including Women in Business, Entrepreneurship, and Environmentalism. 

It also hit #72 in the entire Kindle store (which boasts millions of titles), and when I checked it was #949 in the entire paperback store. 

These are big accomplishments, without doubt. 

But did it all happen with nary a plan? Absolutely not. 

In this episode of the Write the Damn Book Already podcast, Sam and I chatted about exactly what led to this incredible launch (and how she's planning to keep the momentum going!). 

 INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

💥 The REAL reason she was able to hit all the charts and make all the sales (hint: it's all about authentic relationship building)

💥 The thought shift that got Sam writing again after a 4-month hiatus (and compelled her to finish the book in the next month)

💥 Sam's plans to continue to ride the "amazing launch" wave (her lack of "hustle attitude" will inspire you, I promise)

💥 The benefit of writing the book you WANT to write, not the one you think you SHOULD

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Access the first 6 modules of my newest course FOR FREE and see if the full course is right for you right here: 

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/freetrial

Get the first draft of your nonfiction or memoir written in 33 days!

...even if you don't have a cabin in the wilderness, 4 uninterrupted hours a day to write, or confidence that you're a "real" writer. No overwhelm, no confusion. Just simple, actionable steps.

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook/writethebook

AWESOME EMAIL TEMPLATES FOR AUTHORS 

From communicating with your launch team to building incredible relationships with readers, my customizable templates take all the guesswork out of writing emails that turn email subscribers into loyal fans. 

🎉 CLICK HERE to access to the templates

Support the show

Write the Damn Book Already is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with authors as well as updates and insights on writing craft and the publishing industry.

Available wherever podcasts are available:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube

Let's Connect!
Instagram
Website

Email the show: elizabeth [at] elizabethlyons [dot] com

The podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores.

To see all the ways we can work together to get your book written and published, visit publishaprofitablebook.com/work-with-elizabeth

Click Here to ask your book writing and publishing questions!

If you love hearing other authors' experiences when it comes to querying, agent selection, and the publisher selection process, this episode is one to listen to!

Neely Tubati-Alexander's debut novel, Love Buzz, released on May 2, 2023. (It's so good, grab a copy through links below!).

In this episode of the Write the Damn Book Already podcast, Neely and I talked about: 

• Finding her creative outlet in the midst of Covid, and why she started writing (then stopped) another book entirely, felt amazing about it, then trashed it 
• Neely's experience identifying which agents to query and how she ultimately select hers (she has great tips on how to find agents in your genre)
• How she managed the mindf*ck of getting requests for partial or full manuscripts while also hearing “no thank you” from agents
• The most beneficial way to respond to an agent’s or editor's request for plot modifications 
• Why she passed on the first agent who offered to represent her book (even though she loved her) 
• How she ultimately selected her publisher (Harper Perennial) after her book went to auction and she received multiple offers
• How “asking for forgiveness” helped her get her dream agent 
• The “reality” of the advance for nonfiction versus fiction with a traditional publishing deal (plus, the lesser-talked about benefit of a smaller advance and a smaller publisher)
• The important role of diversity in publishing
• The value of writing groups (and how to get connected with one)
• How Neely got Emily Giffin, queen of rom-com, to blurb Love Buzz

 CONNECT WITH NEELY

Website: 

🎉 NOW OPEN - AMAZON ADS FOR INDIE AUTHORS!

Access the first 6 modules of my newest course FOR FREE and see if the full course is right for you right here: 

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/freetrial

Get the first draft of your nonfiction or memoir written in 33 days!

...even if you don't have a cabin in the wilderness, 4 uninterrupted hours a day to write, or confidence that you're a "real" writer. No overwhelm, no confusion. Just simple, actionable steps.

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook/writethebook

Support the show

Write the Damn Book Already is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with authors as well as updates and insights on writing craft and the publishing industry.

Available wherever podcasts are available:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube

Let's Connect!
Instagram
Website

Email the show: elizabeth [at] elizabethlyons [dot] com

The podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores.

To see all the ways we can work together to get your book written and published, visit publishaprofitablebook.com/work-with-elizabeth

Click Here to ask your book writing and publishing questions!

Hybrid publishing is a model whereby an author pays a publishing house to do the publishing legwork---including (sometimes) editing, cover design, interior formatting, and distribution channel setup---while retaining final say over the edits, title, cover design, interior layout, and retail price.

The cost to work with a hybrid publishing house is likely to fall somewhere between $1,500 and $50,000. I consider my publishing house, Finn-Phyllis Press, to be a hybrid publisher. Several of the bigger, more well-known traditional publishing houses offer a hybrid model: Hay House has Balboa Press, and Simon & Schuster has Archway Publishing.

Some publishing houses take no profit off sales, while others take 15% (or more). Some houses pay author royalties every month; others pay them every quarter. Some make it easier than others for authors to order author copies for events or promotion, but almost all of them up-charge when an author does so.

When I began publishing other authors’ books through Finn-Phyllis Press, I put in place the business model that I would’ve loved to have available to me when I started publishing. I wanted someone to help me with the publishing legwork, but I didn't want to give away a portion of my earnings, and I wanted to retain full control over my listing on Amazon and other distribution services post-publication. 

That model didn't exist two decades ago (that I was aware of), but thankfully, more and more author support partners have come on the scene since. 

Because I've learned of so many authors who didn't know what questions to ask their hybrid publisher (and then found themselves in a less-than-ideal situation after publication), I know how critical it is to choose your publisher well. 

My hope is that this episode he

🎉 NOW OPEN - AMAZON ADS FOR INDIE AUTHORS!

Access the first 6 modules of my newest course FOR FREE and see if the full course is right for you right here: 

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/freetrial

Get the first draft of your nonfiction or memoir written in 33 days!

...even if you don't have a cabin in the wilderness, 4 uninterrupted hours a day to write, or confidence that you're a "real" writer. No overwhelm, no confusion. Just simple, actionable steps.

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook/writethebook

Support the show

Write the Damn Book Already is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with authors as well as updates and insights on writing craft and the publishing industry.

Available wherever podcasts are available:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube

Let's Connect!
Instagram
Website

Email the show: elizabeth [at] elizabethlyons [dot] com

The podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores.

To see all the ways we can work together to get your book written and published, visit publishaprofitablebook.com/work-with-elizabeth

Click Here to ask your book writing and publishing questions!

“It’s not about whether I believe this is good every day. It’s whether I can relate to this critical mind and understand that that’s just a part of my nervous system trying to protect me from the fear of ‘Will anyone read this?’…and understanding that the way I relate to that…is the journey.”

Dr. Tanmeet Sethi is a Joy Activist with a mission to give people access to their innate human right to their own joy practice. 

In this episode, we talked about the writing and publishing of her debut memoir, Joy is My Justice (May 2023, Hachette Go).

 INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS 

• What it felt like to sit down and start with a blank page
• How the theme of the book changed (quite dramatically) during the writing of it
• How Tanmeet vacillated between “I’m going to be on Oprah” and “Who ever thought they would put this in a book?”
• The importance of self-compassion, which Tanmeet believes is the seed for EVERYTHING

• How writers can understand how to feel safe when putting their stories and perspectives out there, on display, for the entire world
• How Tanmeet ensures that writing doesn’t feel “lonely” while writing (even though she is doing it “alone” much of the time)
• The journey to choosing (and signing with) an agent, then getting her publishing deal (She has the BEST

🎉 NOW OPEN - AMAZON ADS FOR INDIE AUTHORS!

Access the first 6 modules of my newest course FOR FREE and see if the full course is right for you right here: 

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/freetrial

Get the first draft of your nonfiction or memoir written in 33 days!

...even if you don't have a cabin in the wilderness, 4 uninterrupted hours a day to write, or confidence that you're a "real" writer. No overwhelm, no confusion. Just simple, actionable steps.

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook/writethebook

AWESOME EMAIL TEMPLATES FOR AUTHORS 

From communicating with your launch team to building incredible relationships with readers, my customizable templates take all the guesswork out of writing emails that turn email subscribers into loyal fans. 

🎉 CLICK HERE to access to the templates

Support the show

Write the Damn Book Already is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with authors as well as updates and insights on writing craft and the publishing industry.

Available wherever podcasts are available:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube

Let's Connect!
Instagram
Website

Email the show: elizabeth [at] elizabethlyons [dot] com

The podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores.

To see all the ways we can work together to get your book written and published, visit publishaprofitablebook.com/work-with-elizabeth

Click Here to ask your book writing and publishing questions!

In Episode 36 of the Write the Damn Book Already podcast, Megan Tady (author of Superbloom, May 2023, Zibby Books) and I chatted about the journey to her debut novel.

INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

• Where the idea for Superbloom came from (Meg always thought her first book would be nonfiction)

• Her writing process: how much of the story did she know when she started versus what had to come as she was writing

• How many years this book took in total to write (and how many agents said “no” before one---who initially said no---said yes!)

• How Meg navigated the writing/edits while raising two young kids

• The value of a writing group (plus, how to find a great one and how to “break up” with one, when necessary)

• What keeps Meg most invested and interested in the story she’s writing (even when she feels a bit stifled)

• Her overall goal as an author and what keeps her moving forward (it’s not about having the best reviews)

•  What she’s most excited and nervous about when it comes to the book launch

•  Her favorite writer’s resources

 

ABOUT MEGAN

Megan Tady is a writer and editor who runs the company Word-Lift. When she’s not
scrutinizing copy, she can be found

🎉 NOW OPEN - AMAZON ADS FOR INDIE AUTHORS!

Access the first 6 modules of my newest course FOR FREE and see if the full course is right for you right here: 

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/freetrial

Get the first draft of your nonfiction or memoir written in 33 days!

...even if you don't have a cabin in the wilderness, 4 uninterrupted hours a day to write, or confidence that you're a "real" writer. No overwhelm, no confusion. Just simple, actionable steps.

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook/writethebook

AWESOME EMAIL TEMPLATES FOR AUTHORS 

From communicating with your launch team to building incredible relationships with readers, my customizable templates take all the guesswork out of writing emails that turn email subscribers into loyal fans. 

🎉 CLICK HERE to access to the templates

Support the show

Write the Damn Book Already is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with authors as well as updates and insights on writing craft and the publishing industry.

Available wherever podcasts are available:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube

Let's Connect!
Instagram
Website

Email the show: elizabeth [at] elizabethlyons [dot] com

The podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores.

To see all the ways we can work together to get your book written and published, visit publishaprofitablebook.com/work-with-elizabeth

Click Here to ask your book writing and publishing questions!

Want to write a book but have no idea where to start? 

You're not alone. In fact, "Where do I start?" is the most common question I hear!

In this episode, I break down the first three steps I encourage every aspiring author of nonfiction or memoir to take in order to make the process of writing an incredible book a little more clear and a little less daunting.

But make no mistake, writing a book is hard work! My saying that is in service of your desire to do it, not a deterrent or a precarious warning.

The fact that it feels hard is NORMAL! Every author feels this way, sometimes even after writing several books. (The only difference there is that by that point they know to expect it that "hard" feeling and have stopped judging it as "bad.")

Every single one of your favorite authors once asked, "Where do I start?" 

Someone gave them a bit of direction, and then they decided to get (and keep) going. 

See if these three steps help you to get out of thinking and into action. Because that's where all the magic happens! 

For more information on the pay-what-you-can book outlining workshop mentioned in the episode, visit Book Outlines Made Simple.

🎉 NOW OPEN - AMAZON ADS FOR INDIE AUTHORS!

Access the first 6 modules of my newest course FOR FREE and see if the full course is right for you right here: 

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/freetrial

Get the first draft of your nonfiction or memoir written in 33 days!

...even if you don't have a cabin in the wilderness, 4 uninterrupted hours a day to write, or confidence that you're a "real" writer. No overwhelm, no confusion. Just simple, actionable steps.

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook/writethebook

AWESOME EMAIL TEMPLATES FOR AUTHORS 

From communicating with your launch team to building incredible relationships with readers, my customizable templates take all the guesswork out of writing emails that turn email subscribers into loyal fans. 

🎉 CLICK HERE to access to the templates

Support the show

Write the Damn Book Already is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with authors as well as updates and insights on writing craft and the publishing industry.

Available wherever podcasts are available:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube

Let's Connect!
Instagram
Website

Email the show: elizabeth [at] elizabethlyons [dot] com

The podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores.

To see all the ways we can work together to get your book written and published, visit publishaprofitablebook.com/work-with-elizabeth

Click Here to ask your book writing and publishing questions!

The vast majority of people who join the Write the Damn Book Already Facebook group say they are looking for one (or more) of the following things:

• Motivation
• Inspiration
• Accountability

I can help you with all three, but not in the way you might think.

Today, let’s talk about motivation.

When people say they are looking for motivation to write their book, what they’re often really saying is, “I’m not clear ENOUGH on what I’m writing about (or why) to get my ass in the chair on a regular basis.”

Or,

“I’m (unknowingly) misunderstanding what it looks like for other authors. I think they have a certain amount of motivation or awareness or knowledge or know-how, and once I get that, I’ll be good to go.”

They think that what they are missing is “motivation.”

But motivation (or inspiration) is just the word used to describe the feeling they want to have, much like “writers’ block" is the phrase often used to describe the feeling of “I don’t know what the hell to write or whether I should actually write what I’m thinking.”

So let’s get clearer about what you really need (and how to get it!).

First, a few truths:

1. No author sits down and writes in flow all day every day until the book is finished.
2. No author feels “motivated” all the time.
3. We write even when we don’t feel motivated but we make that time count

Now that we have that out of the way, let's dive into this episode where I share my top tips for finding that motivation you're seeking, so that you can get on with writing the book that's practically begging to come out of you! 

🎉 NOW OPEN - AMAZON ADS FOR INDIE AUTHORS!

Access the first 6 modules of my newest course FOR FREE and see if the full course is right for you right here: 

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/freetrial

Get the first draft of your nonfiction or memoir written in 33 days!

...even if you don't have a cabin in the wilderness, 4 uninterrupted hours a day to write, or confidence that you're a "real" writer. No overwhelm, no confusion. Just simple, actionable steps.

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook/writethebook

Support the show

Write the Damn Book Already is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with authors as well as updates and insights on writing craft and the publishing industry.

Available wherever podcasts are available:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube

Let's Connect!
Instagram
Website

Email the show: elizabeth [at] elizabethlyons [dot] com

The podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores.

To see all the ways we can work together to get your book written and published, visit publishaprofitablebook.com/work-with-elizabeth

Click Here to ask your book writing and publishing questions!

Emily Paulson's second book, Hey Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and other Lies Behind Multi-Level Marketing (Row House, May 30, 2023) is the eye-opening, funny, and dangerous personal story of author Emily Lynn Paulson rising to the top of the pyramid in the multilevel marketing (MLM) world, only to recognize that its culture and business practices went beyond a trendy marketing scheme and into the heart of white supremacy in America. 

In this episode of the Write the Damn Book Already podcast, we discussed several aspects of her book writing process as well as her journey to the top of (and then exit from) the MLM she participated in.

 INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

• The basis for the title Hey, hun (because we’re all fascinated with titles and where they are settled on!)

• What compelled Emily to write this (her second) book, and how she got clear on the book's core message

• The benefits of considering your reader’s frame of mind AS YOU'RE WRITING in order to compassionately speak to where they are while taking them toward a new perspective

• Emily's ultimate goal for the book (the hoped-for benefits for herself AND her readers)

• Her book-writing process (hint: it starts with a journal!)

• How she chose which stories to include and which to remove

• The way she included stories about other people's involvement in her story without outright naming them

• The hardest part of the writing process (her “messy middle”) and how she worked through some topics her publisher wanted her to write about that initially felt real uncomfortable 

• Handing other peop

🎉 NOW OPEN - AMAZON ADS FOR INDIE AUTHORS!

Access the first 6 modules of my newest course FOR FREE and see if the full course is right for you right here: 

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/freetrial

Get the first draft of your nonfiction or memoir written in 33 days!

...even if you don't have a cabin in the wilderness, 4 uninterrupted hours a day to write, or confidence that you're a "real" writer. No overwhelm, no confusion. Just simple, actionable steps.

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook/writethebook

Support the show

Write the Damn Book Already is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with authors as well as updates and insights on writing craft and the publishing industry.

Available wherever podcasts are available:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube

Let's Connect!
Instagram
Website

Email the show: elizabeth [at] elizabethlyons [dot] com

The podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores.

To see all the ways we can work together to get your book written and published, visit publishaprofitablebook.com/work-with-elizabeth

Click Here to ask your book writing and publishing questions!

Whenever I have questions about Instagram/Facebook (or, as it's newly referred to, Meta) ads, the first person I go to is Sam Garcia.

The founder of Dirty Alchemy Digital Marketing, Sam and her team have run ads for some big brands, and not only does she know what she's doing but she also has a way of simplifying a process that often feels like a 1436-mile maze. 

In the latest episode of the Write the Damn Book Already podcast, Sam and I talked about how authors can utilize ads to grow their visibility and their community and, as a result, sell more books and attract more clients. 

 INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS 

🎙️ The most basic (and un-overwhelming) place to start in terms of budget and ad creation

🎙️ The biggest difference between running ads to your book's listing on Amazon and to a page on your on website (and why the second option makes more sense most of the time)

🎙️ Which posts are best to begin boosting (and which are a complete waste of time)

🎙️ Different types of ad campaigns you can run (and which is best for a starter budget!)

🎙️ How soon in advance of your book launch to start building your email list with ads (plus, the importance of “owning” your audience)

🎙️ Which metrics to look at to determine whether the ads are “working” (and why your data is far more important than industry average)

🎙️ How business owners use Self-Liquidating Offers (SLO) to cover their ad spend (bonus:

🎉 NOW OPEN - AMAZON ADS FOR INDIE AUTHORS!

Access the first 6 modules of my newest course FOR FREE and see if the full course is right for you right here: 

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/freetrial

Get the first draft of your nonfiction or memoir written in 33 days!

...even if you don't have a cabin in the wilderness, 4 uninterrupted hours a day to write, or confidence that you're a "real" writer. No overwhelm, no confusion. Just simple, actionable steps.

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook/writethebook

AWESOME EMAIL TEMPLATES FOR AUTHORS 

From communicating with your launch team to building incredible relationships with readers, my customizable templates take all the guesswork out of writing emails that turn email subscribers into loyal fans. 

🎉 CLICK HERE to access to the templates

Support the show

Write the Damn Book Already is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with authors as well as updates and insights on writing craft and the publishing industry.

Available wherever podcasts are available:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
YouTube

Let's Connect!
Instagram
Website

Email the show: elizabeth [at] elizabethlyons [dot] com

The podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores.

To see all the ways we can work together to get your book written and published, visit publishaprofitablebook.com/work-with-elizabeth