Click Here to ask your book writing and publishing questions!

Jill Krzyzanowicz writes under the pen name Margo Reilly, which I found fascinating since her first book, When the Apple Falls Far from the Tree, is memoir.

Many people wonder whether they can (or should) write memoir under a pen name, and in all cases (up until speaking with Jill), I advised against it for a variety of reasons that Jill and I spoke about.

But Jill's rationale made perfect sense, and it provides a great additional perspective for anyone considering the same approach. 

In this episode of the Write the Damn Book Already podcast, Jill and I had a wonderful time chatting about the book writing, publishing, and marketing processes, as well as her plans for a second book.

 

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• Why pseudonyms (pen names) can be a real problem when you’re writing memoir, and why Jill chose to use one (plus, her publisher’s surprising direction on her choice of

🧭 BACK COVER BLUEPRINT

Your back cover isn't just your back cover. It's your Amazon description. It's what a stranger reads at 11pm deciding whether to buy your book or go to sleep. The Back Cover Blueprint gives you templates for nonfiction, memoir, and fiction; real-world examples; a polishing checklist; and a guide for turning it into an optimized online description that attracts the right readers. 

🔗 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/blueprint

This episode is sponsored by Atticus, the all-in-one writing and book formatting software for self-publishing authors. From drafting to professional ebook and print layout, Atticus makes it easy to format your manuscript for KDP, IngramSpark, and beyond. Learn more at Atticus.io.

WANT TO SELL MORE BOOKS (WITHOUT THE SELF-PROMO CRINGE)?

The Author Visibility Bundle gives you 200+ done-for-you email templates, social media graphics, and other book promo tools designed to help authors build buzz and drive sales, without feeling pushy. 

👉  PublishAProfitableBook.com/bookvisibility

✍️ 33-DAY BOOK WRITING BOOTCAMP

You've Been Thinking About This Book Forever. So let's get it written (for real this time). 

👉 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!

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

🧭 BACK COVER BLUEPRINT

Your back cover isn't just your back cover. It's your Amazon description. It's what a stranger reads at 11pm deciding whether to buy your book or go to sleep. The Back Cover Blueprint gives you templates for nonfiction, memoir, and fiction; real-world examples; a polishing checklist; and a guide for turning it into an optimized online description that attracts the right readers. 

🔗 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/blueprint

This episode is sponsored by Atticus, the all-in-one writing and book formatting software for self-publishing authors. From drafting to professional ebook and print layout, Atticus makes it easy to format your manuscript for KDP, IngramSpark, and beyond. Learn more at Atticus.io.

WANT TO SELL MORE BOOKS (WITHOUT THE SELF-PROMO CRINGE)?

The Author Visibility Bundle gives you 200+ done-for-you email templates, social media graphics, and other book promo tools designed to help authors build buzz and drive sales, without feeling pushy. 

👉  PublishAProfitableBook.com/bookvisibility

✍️ 33-DAY BOOK WRITING BOOTCAMP

You've Been Thinking About This Book Forever. So let's get it written (for real this time). 

👉 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!

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

💥

🧭 BACK COVER BLUEPRINT

Your back cover isn't just your back cover. It's your Amazon description. It's what a stranger reads at 11pm deciding whether to buy your book or go to sleep. The Back Cover Blueprint gives you templates for nonfiction, memoir, and fiction; real-world examples; a polishing checklist; and a guide for turning it into an optimized online description that attracts the right readers. 

🔗 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/blueprint

This episode is sponsored by Atticus, the all-in-one writing and book formatting software for self-publishing authors. From drafting to professional ebook and print layout, Atticus makes it easy to format your manuscript for KDP, IngramSpark, and beyond. Learn more at Atticus.io.

WANT TO SELL MORE BOOKS (WITHOUT THE SELF-PROMO CRINGE)?

The Author Visibility Bundle gives you 200+ done-for-you email templates, social media graphics, and other book promo tools designed to help authors build buzz and drive sales, without feeling pushy. 

👉  PublishAProfitableBook.com/bookvisibility

✍️ 33-DAY BOOK WRITING BOOTCAMP

You've Been Thinking About This Book Forever. So let's get it written (for real this time). 

👉 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!

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

🧭 BACK COVER BLUEPRINT

Your back cover isn't just your back cover. It's your Amazon description. It's what a stranger reads at 11pm deciding whether to buy your book or go to sleep. The Back Cover Blueprint gives you templates for nonfiction, memoir, and fiction; real-world examples; a polishing checklist; and a guide for turning it into an optimized online description that attracts the right readers. 

🔗 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/blueprint

This episode is sponsored by Atticus, the all-in-one writing and book formatting software for self-publishing authors. From drafting to professional ebook and print layout, Atticus makes it easy to format your manuscript for KDP, IngramSpark, and beyond. Learn more at Atticus.io.

✍️ 33-DAY BOOK WRITING BOOTCAMP

You've Been Thinking About This Book Forever. So let's get it written (for real this time). 

👉 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 c

🧭 BACK COVER BLUEPRINT

Your back cover isn't just your back cover. It's your Amazon description. It's what a stranger reads at 11pm deciding whether to buy your book or go to sleep. The Back Cover Blueprint gives you templates for nonfiction, memoir, and fiction; real-world examples; a polishing checklist; and a guide for turning it into an optimized online description that attracts the right readers. 

🔗 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/blueprint

This episode is sponsored by Atticus, the all-in-one writing and book formatting software for self-publishing authors. From drafting to professional ebook and print layout, Atticus makes it easy to format your manuscript for KDP, IngramSpark, and beyond. Learn more at Atticus.io.

✍️ 33-DAY BOOK WRITING BOOTCAMP

You've Been Thinking About This Book Forever. So let's get it written (for real this time). 

👉 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?”

🧭 BACK COVER BLUEPRINT

Your back cover isn't just your back cover. It's your Amazon description. It's what a stranger reads at 11pm deciding whether to buy your book or go to sleep. The Back Cover Blueprint gives you templates for nonfiction, memoir, and fiction; real-world examples; a polishing checklist; and a guide for turning it into an optimized online description that attracts the right readers. 

🔗 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/blueprint

This episode is sponsored by Atticus, the all-in-one writing and book formatting software for self-publishing authors. From drafting to professional ebook and print layout, Atticus makes it easy to format your manuscript for KDP, IngramSpark, and beyond. Learn more at Atticus.io.

WANT TO SELL MORE BOOKS (WITHOUT THE SELF-PROMO CRINGE)?

The Author Visibility Bundle gives you 200+ done-for-you email templates, social media graphics, and other book promo tools designed to help authors build buzz and drive sales, without feeling pushy. 

👉  PublishAProfitableBook.com/bookvisibility

✍️ 33-DAY BOOK WRITING BOOTCAMP

You've Been Thinking About This Book Forever. So let's get it written (for real this time). 

👉 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!

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 go

🧭 BACK COVER BLUEPRINT

Your back cover isn't just your back cover. It's your Amazon description. It's what a stranger reads at 11pm deciding whether to buy your book or go to sleep. The Back Cover Blueprint gives you templates for nonfiction, memoir, and fiction; real-world examples; a polishing checklist; and a guide for turning it into an optimized online description that attracts the right readers. 

🔗 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/blueprint

This episode is sponsored by Atticus, the all-in-one writing and book formatting software for self-publishing authors. From drafting to professional ebook and print layout, Atticus makes it easy to format your manuscript for KDP, IngramSpark, and beyond. Learn more at Atticus.io.

WANT TO SELL MORE BOOKS (WITHOUT THE SELF-PROMO CRINGE)?

The Author Visibility Bundle gives you 200+ done-for-you email templates, social media graphics, and other book promo tools designed to help authors build buzz and drive sales, without feeling pushy. 

👉  PublishAProfitableBook.com/bookvisibility

✍️ 33-DAY BOOK WRITING BOOTCAMP

You've Been Thinking About This Book Forever. So let's get it written (for real this time). 

👉 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!

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 happ

🧭 BACK COVER BLUEPRINT

Your back cover isn't just your back cover. It's your Amazon description. It's what a stranger reads at 11pm deciding whether to buy your book or go to sleep. The Back Cover Blueprint gives you templates for nonfiction, memoir, and fiction; real-world examples; a polishing checklist; and a guide for turning it into an optimized online description that attracts the right readers. 

🔗 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/blueprint

This episode is sponsored by Atticus, the all-in-one writing and book formatting software for self-publishing authors. From drafting to professional ebook and print layout, Atticus makes it easy to format your manuscript for KDP, IngramSpark, and beyond. Learn more at Atticus.io.

WANT TO SELL MORE BOOKS (WITHOUT THE SELF-PROMO CRINGE)?

The Author Visibility Bundle gives you 200+ done-for-you email templates, social media graphics, and other book promo tools designed to help authors build buzz and drive sales, without feeling pushy. 

👉  PublishAProfitableBook.com/bookvisibility

✍️ 33-DAY BOOK WRITING BOOTCAMP

You've Been Thinking About This Book Forever. So let's get it written (for real this time). 

👉 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!

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:

🧭 BACK COVER BLUEPRINT

Your back cover isn't just your back cover. It's your Amazon description. It's what a stranger reads at 11pm deciding whether to buy your book or go to sleep. The Back Cover Blueprint gives you templates for nonfiction, memoir, and fiction; real-world examples; a polishing checklist; and a guide for turning it into an optimized online description that attracts the right readers. 

🔗 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/blueprint

This episode is sponsored by Atticus, the all-in-one writing and book formatting software for self-publishing authors. From drafting to professional ebook and print layout, Atticus makes it easy to format your manuscript for KDP, IngramSpark, and beyond. Learn more at Atticus.io.

✍️ 33-DAY BOOK WRITING BOOTCAMP

You've Been Thinking About This Book Forever. So let's get it written (for real this time). 

👉 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 pr

🧭 BACK COVER BLUEPRINT

Your back cover isn't just your back cover. It's your Amazon description. It's what a stranger reads at 11pm deciding whether to buy your book or go to sleep. The Back Cover Blueprint gives you templates for nonfiction, memoir, and fiction; real-world examples; a polishing checklist; and a guide for turning it into an optimized online description that attracts the right readers. 

🔗 https://www.publishaprofitablebook.com/blueprint

This episode is sponsored by Atticus, the all-in-one writing and book formatting software for self-publishing authors. From drafting to professional ebook and print layout, Atticus makes it easy to format your manuscript for KDP, IngramSpark, and beyond. Learn more at Atticus.io.

✍️ 33-DAY BOOK WRITING BOOTCAMP

You've Been Thinking About This Book Forever. So let's get it written (for real this time). 

👉 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