Self Publishing for Professionals

I recently had another podcaster in a coaching group ask me about how to break down the overwhelming process of writing a self-published book into manageable, smaller goals. The core problem: the thought of writing a book paralyzes aspiring authors because it's an undefined goal with no clear starting point, creating blank page paralysis compounded by comparing themselves to finished books with bestsellers and awards rather than focusing on next steps.The critical mindset shift I teach is moving from "I need to write a book" to "what is my very next step?” Our brains want to resist undefined, enormous tasks but respond well to small, clear milestones, where you can see measurable progress and celebrate small wins! Stop thinking about bestseller lists and awards—simply focus on why you want to write your book and how you'll get there one step at a time. Your goal isn't finishing the entire book. Your goal is to complete your next milestone. Whether that's your chapter outline, brainstorming topics, creating a mind map, or writing 15 minutes three times weekly.Establish a realistic writing schedule by honestly assessing your available time and protecting the time you are blocking off to write. And fiercely protect that time! Unprotected time ends up going towards our life’s daily tasks, only pushing off what we really want to do: completing our self-published book. Complete your first draft by writing one chapter at a time, but you don’t have to write them in order! Start with whatever chapter feels easiest and save your introduction for last, since it will likely change after developmental editing.The absolute non-negotiable milestone is hiring a professional editor—never hire friends or family members as one client hired her 18-year-old niece and it sounded like a high schooler wrote her book, requiring complete re-editing at an additional cost to her. I’ve seen unprofessionally edited books getting called out in Amazon book reviews, with one author receiving four reviews specifically mentioning she clearly didn't hire a professional editor. Complete all editing before formatting and use a book formatter who doesn't work in Word.Until next time, keep writing, dreaming, and creating—your book is waiting to be born!Podcast ResourcesReady to write your authority-building book? Book a discovery call and take the next step to moving one step closer to writing and publishing your book!Get the support you need for self-publishing your book in my community, Publishing for Leaders. Join today while membership is still free!Unsure where to start when it comes to writing your book? Download your Book Clarity Blueprint today!Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. The content shared by the host, guests, and any affiliates is not intended to substitute for professional legal or financial advice or any professional advice specific to your situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have.The opinions expressed on the show by the host or guests are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unicorn Publishing Company. Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, guests, and affiliates are not responsible or liable for any decisions made by listeners or actions taken hereto based on the information discussed in this podcast. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge and agree to release Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, affiliates, and guests from any liability.

Dr. David Gruder, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of eight books and award-winning psychologist, shares his four secrets to never experiencing writer's block. David's unique writing gift came from childhood when his father, an accomplished technical writer, and his mother, a published poet, mercilessly edited his homework with input that drove him crazy but ultimately gifted him the rare ability to write with precision yet poetically. Learning that books serve as front-ends for deeper engagement, he shifted his approach to say less while delivering huge value, leaving readers wanting more.David cured any possibility of writer's block as executive editor of his college newspaper when he consistently had 20 minutes before drop-dead deadline to write his weekly column with zero prep time, teaching him to write final copy without the luxury of writer's block.One of David’s secrets he reveals is marathoning rather than sprinting, where David goes into seclusion for week-long writing sessions from wake to sleep because marathoning keeps everything fully present while sprinting causes him to lose connections between details. I’ve marathoned my own book on a two-week Atlantic cruise sitting poolside.David's wife uses sprints and data dumping information onto sticky notes, clustering themes together which reveals chapters and sequence, creating a literal paper trail. Writing becomes much easier through flow state, where all effort vanishes and content channels through, using the criterion that if what comes through isn't smarter than him, then it goes in the trash.David triggers flow state by uttering his favorite four-letter word "help" and surrendering to ask higher resources to channel through him, or by playing and listening to music, always using soothing instrumental background music like light jazz, classical, or new age when actually writing since vocal music with words prevents the brain from processing writing efficiently. I recently discovered lo-fi music acts like a metronome for your brain helping regulate brain waves, particularly beneficial for neurodivergent individuals by calming the brain for deeper flowstate.Until next time, keep writing, dreaming, and creating—your book is waiting to be born!Ready to write your authority-building book? Book a discovery call and take the next step to moving one step closer to writing and publishing your book!Podcast ResourcesLooking for support to self-publish your book? Join me in my Skool Community filled with leaders who are adding “author” to their bio.Unsure where to start when it comes to writing your book? Download your Book Clarity Blueprint today!Get a Free Copy of the first two books in Dr. David Grueder’s SPARC Trilogy!Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. The content shared by the host, guests, and any affiliates is not intended to substitute for professional legal or financial advice or any professional advice specific to your situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have.The opinions expressed on the show by the host or guests are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unicorn Publishing Company. Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, guests, and affiliates are not responsible or liable for any decisions made by listeners or actions taken hereto based on the information discussed in this podcast. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge and agree to release Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, affiliates, and guests from any liability.

In this game-changing episode, I sit down with Scott Carson, nationally recognized note investing authority, who built his email list to 50,000 subscribers using strategies any author can apply. Scott opens with a powerful American Marketing Association statistic showing email marketing delivers 4,400% ROI, earning $44 for every dollar spent. The critical insight: you only truly own three platforms—your email list, website, and RSS feed—while social media platforms can shut you down anytime, making email list building essential for authors wanting marketing control.Scott's journey began over 20 years ago when his coach advised treating networking events as list-building opportunities, turning business card collection into a competitive game aiming to collect one-tenth of attendee cards from each event. His genius strategy involved business cards with blank backs so when people lacked cards, he gave them to him to fill out and return, never missing connections. Every night after events, he meticulously transferred contacts into Excel spreadsheets recording names, emails, niche focus, and conversation notes for personalized outreach. The immediate follow-up email thanked people for meeting with conversation details. Then he strategically sent second follow-ups on Tuesday after weekend events, avoiding Monday when people travel, offering value through podcast links, free books, or class invitations because 80% of sales happen after the fifth contact.Scott's success foundation came from genuinely helping solve problems rather than pushing sales, asking attendees about challenges and offering solutions through content, connections, or resources without expecting immediate returns. His book strategy involved converting titles to free PDF lead magnets in exchange for email addresses, building his list while establishing authority.Scott's strategies translate into book marketing gold. Authors can replicate his process by starting small, staying consistent, and focusing on genuine relationship building, making it a game while maintaining discipline to follow up when others won't.Until next time, keep writing, dreaming, and creating—your book is waiting to be born!Ready to write your authority-building book? Book a discovery call and take the next step to moving one step closer to writing and publishing your book!Podcast ResourcesStart on your author journey today by Booking a Discovery CallUnsure where to start when it comes to writing your book? Download your Book Clarity Blueprint today!Chat with Scott Carson or sign up for one of his virtual classes here!Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. The content shared by the host, guests, and any affiliates is not intended to substitute for professional legal or financial advice or any professional advice specific to your situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have.The opinions expressed on the show by the host or guests are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unicorn Publishing Company. Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, guests, and affiliates are not responsible or liable for any decisions made by listeners or actions taken hereto based on the information discussed in this podcast. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge and agree to release Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, affiliates, and guests from any liability.

Want to know about the 30-minute document that saves you countless hours when writing, working with editors, and self-publishing? Then you want to know about (and create) a style guide for your self-published book.A style guide instructs professionals working on your book how you want your book written, specifying whether "donut" is spelled D-O-U-G-H-N-U-T instead of D-O-N-U-T (Dunkin' Donuts branding), whether certain words are italicized or bolded, whether you say "Baby Yoda" instead of just "Yoda," whether titles appear in all caps or only first words capitalized. Style guides prevent embarrassing errors and represent industry standards for serious authors.Almost every client that I’ve worked with didn’t know about a style guide, let alone how much time, money, and hassle that having one would make for their publishing journey. Creating a comprehensive style guide by reading manuscripts, making suggestions, adding client-specific requirements, and providing advice, then delivering a PDF they attach to emails for anyone working on their book including editors, formatters, designers, co-authors, or virtual assistants.Reason one for needing a style guide is consistency across your entire book because different editors have different ideas about how your book should look, but the style guide shows them exactly what you want. Style guides also save time and money because editors work faster understanding your style preferences upfront rather than constantly emailing questions, preventing costly revisions since editors know what you want from the beginning, avoiding re-editing expenses from style mistakes.If you want to look professional, you’ll need to maintain consistency across all content including blogs, social media, courses, future books, or second editions. You can edit your style guide when you update preferences.Style guides assist in maintaining a professional presentation and credibility. Professional authors use style guides demonstrating attention to detail and thoughtful effort. When event coordinators read inconsistent books from speakers, you won't get the job, but when they read consistent professional books created with style guide standards, you get the job—along with higher pay.Until next time, keep writing, dreaming, and creating—your book is waiting to be born!Podcast ResourcesReady to write your authority-building book? Book a discovery call and take the next step to moving one step closer to writing and publishing your book!Get the support you need for self publishing your book in my community, Publishing for Leaders. Join today while membership is still free!Unsure where to start when it comes to writing your book? Download your Book Clarity Blueprint today!Disclaimer: The information in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. The content shared by the host, guests, and any affiliates is not intended to substitute for professional legal or financial advice or any professional advice specific to your situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have.The opinions expressed on the show by the host or guests are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unicorn Publishing Company. Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, guests, and affiliates are not responsible or liable for any decisions made by listeners or actions taken hereto based on the information discussed in this podcast. By listening to this podcast, you acknowledge and agree to release Unicorn Publishing Company, the host, affiliates, and guests from any liability.

I’m revealing the five costliest mistakes I see new authors make when self-publishing. If you're using your book as a business card, you cannot afford amateur formatting giving bad first impressions to readers who immediately notice wrong fonts and layouts, especially if they read extensively in your genre.Let’s start with the number one mistake that cost my client thousands: formatting your book before all editing is complete. My client paid for formatting before we finished all four editing types—developmental, line, copy, and proofreading—then had to pay for reformatting again after editing changed content.Mistake two involves not understanding different format requirements where authors assume one format works for all book types. However, each book format has specific technical requirements with separate file types that Amazon won't accept if improperly formatted.Mistake three is using manual formatting with hard returns and extra spaces instead of professional paragraph styles, or worse, formatting in Word which looks unprofessional and Amazon often rejects. Mistake four means ignoring industry standards where every genre has specific formatting expectations professional readers recognize instantly.Join my free School community "Publishing for Leaders" at school.com where first 100 members get complimentary access to monthly group coaching sessions plus casual coffee chats. Book your discovery call at write4u.me for formatting, editing, or publishing support.Until next time, keep writing, dreaming, and creating—your book is waiting to be born!