Book Writing & Publishing

Episode 150 provides the reset many authors quietly crave as Jenn Hanson-dePaula returns to help us modify (if not outright rebuild) our expectations, systems, and perspectives when it comes to book sales.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

• How to implement a "2 sales a day" strategy.
• Becoming "profitable, not popular." (Hint: Clicks matter. Likes and views don’t.)
• The simple link path that outperform complicated funnels every time.
• The easiest daily selling you're probably NOT doing. 

We also walk through how to measure what actually moves readers, not what flatters the algorithm. Jenn breaks down clean DM workflows, repeatable content, and approaches that spark joy so you can stop force-feeding content.

We also look at the quieter parts of growth: handling criticism, building systems before you’re “big,” and treating your author life like a business, even when it still feels small.

If you want calm, clarity, and a plan that won’t chew through your energy the way I'm currently going ...

In this episode, I share 8 books that reshaped how I parent, relax, and think about storytelling in 2025. 

Books:

Just Do Nothing (for Parents) by Joanna Hardis

The Summer We Ran by Audrey Ingram

What Happened to Lucy Vale by Lauren Oliver

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Small Victories by Anne Lamott

Moms Like Us by Jordan Roter

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📚 Author Visibility Bundle (200+ customizable email and social media templates just for authors)

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🗞️ The Damn Good "Can't Stop Writing" Formula

Grab the free nonfiction or memoir kickstart that's helped hundreds of authors get out of their heads and into the flow: 

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

✍️ You've Been Thinking About This Book Forever. So let's start writing (for real this time).
 
No incense, inspirational playlists, or fancy mantras. Just a clear, doable plan to get your nonfiction or memoir draft written in 33 days. 

👉 https://www.publishaprofitablebook/writethebook

In this episode, we walk through 5 mistakes that quietly undermine first-time self-publishers and show how to fix each one with practical, doable steps.

We start by tightening your audience with a one-sentence framework that keeps every chapter aligned to a clear promise. 

From there, we map a real editing workflow: self-edit, gather targeted beta feedback on structure and flow, then bring in a professional editor who can strengthen the developmental and line work.

We also get honest about design. DIY your interior with reliable templates and checklists. But your cover? Invest in that. It needs to signal genre, earn clicks, and meet exact printer specs for spine width, trim, and image quality.

Then we dig into metadata, the quiet engine behind discoverability. Keywords, categories, and a clean description help the right readers find you on the world’s third-largest search engine. 

If you’re tired of guessing and want a simpler way to publish with confidence, this conversatio...

If you’re writing a nonfiction book or memoir and your draft feels messy, scattered, or “not quite ready,” this episode will help you clean it up fast. I’m sharing 5 editing rules that instantly improve any nonfiction manuscript — the same rules I use to help guide the authors whose manuscripts I edit. 

These are the patterns I’ve seen again and again after coaching hundreds of authors, editing countless drafts, and publishing six nonfiction books of my own. When you understand these rules, your writing gets clearer, tighter, and far more compelling. And most importantly, your reader stays with you.

Inside the episode, you’ll learn:
 – Why your intro is probably too long
 – How writing for ONE reader changes everything
 – How to make each chapter deliver a single promise
 – The difference between clarity and jargon
 – How to end chapters with momentum (and why that matters more than you think)

If you want help starting your book, you can grab my free “Can't Stop Writing” guide here...

Wanting life to be wonderful and wanting to be wonderful aren’t the same thing, and that gap is where today’s conversation lives.

Israeli journalist and author Lihi Lapid joins me to talk about motherhood’s messy truths, the pressure to be “more” than "good enough," and the writing choices that make a story feel honest. From bestselling novels to a children’s book that calms homes during chaotic times, Lihi's path as an author reframes what success and impact really mean.

We unpack her new book’s dual narrative: a “princess” self alongside the unfiltered woman doing dishes once the spotlight fades. It’s a sharp mirror of how we perform on the outside while wrestling with doubt inside. 

This episode serves as an important reminder that grace and grit can coexist, and that being real might be the easiest, hardest, and most wonderful act of all.

CONNECT WITH LIHI

Instagram: @lihilapid

Get to Know Lihi Lapid: Click Here

Buy I Wanted to Be Wonderful

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👉 CLICK HERE TO ACCESS...

Today I'm sharing 5 quick wins that make self-publishing feel simple, not scary, and show how small moves can build sustainable momentum. By the end of these 5 steps, you will have:

• locked in a clear (and easy to pronounce over and over again) working title
• chosen a credible publishing company name
• and understanding of ISBNs and taken the first step toward purchasing yours
• selected a trim size that best fits your word count
• gathered cover inspiration that guides your final design
• drafted dedication and acknowledgments pages 

Want all this in writing, step by step? Just go to publishaprofitablebook.com/jumpstart to get the 5 quick wins delivered directly to your inbox, one day at a time

Ever felt like everyone else has the secret playbook for publishing while you’re just winging it? Same.

In this episode, I spill everything I'd tell you as the author of six books (and having published 50+ for others) if I wasn't afraid you'd unfollow or outright block me. 

I'll get real about the financial side of authorship—the thin margins, the myth of “making it” with one viral post, and the practical ways nonfiction authors can pair their books with courses, workshops, or speaking to create lasting impact.

And because no creative path is linear, I also dive into the human stuff: editors who disagree, 3 a.m. regrets, friends who vanish at launch. The fix for all of it? A simple but powerful rule: adopt a no-panic zone mindset.

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Joanna Hardis's new book: Just Do Nothing (for Parents): How to Parent Better by Doing Less 

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🎉 NOW OPEN: AMAZON ADS FOR INDIE AUTHORS!

Learn how to run Amazon ads that actually work—even if you’ve never touched an ad platform in your life....

A single question on a cold Hudson Valley walk: What if there’s a body in that hunter’s tent? sparked the debut thriller The Gallagher Place by Julie Doar. 

In this episode, we chat about how she wrote the first draft by instinct, then shifted gears into precision: charting dates, timelines, and cause-and-effect until every twist landed in a way that made sense. 

When the manuscript worked its way to 100K+ words, cutting became an act of getting clarity on what stays, what goes, and how much weight the opening chapter really has to carry.

As it turns out, her years working at Starbucks trained the same muscles that make a thriller work: anticipating and executing under pressure. We talk about turning that fast-twitch instinct into a writing rhythm, plus the art of finishing one idea before chasing the next.

We also chat about how querying parallels sales strategy: staggering submissions, treating rejections as market data, and refining pages until they convert. The mindset sh...

What happens when a traditionally published debut novel suddenly appears on Kindle Unlimited while still showing wide? That unexpected twist opens into a bigger conversation about publishing decisions (and what’s actually within an author’s control).

In this episode, Turner Gable Kahn, author of The Dirty Version (Harper Perennial), shares how she honored her grandmothers with a pen name, threaded #MeToo-era questions into a contemporary romance, and wrestled with multiple endings before landing on the one that aligned with her feminist lens.

We also dig into her writing process. And, the publishing side. A sharp agent and editor helped shape her manuscript, but much to many authors' chagrin, even with a major publishing house, you’re still the one creating assets, posting, and doing the lion's share of marketing.  

If you’re weighing traditional vs. indie, fighting the mid-book slump, or simply trying to finish without losing your mind, this conversation offers both clarity an...

Maid meets Under the Tuscan Sun!

Betsy Cornwell built her career writing young adult fantasy, but her newest book tells an entirely different story. In this episode, Betsy opens up about her memoir, Ring of Salt, which chronicles her escape from an abusive marriage and her creation of a sanctuary for single-parent artists.

At the center is the Old Knitting Factory in western Ireland, a historic building she transformed into a childcare-inclusive residency. What began as a crowdfunded dream became both a physical refuge and a symbol of resilience, reshaping her creative life.

Betsy also shares wisdom about the writing process itself. Teaching creative writing at the University of Galway, she knows firsthand how perfectionism derails authors and offers that waiting to write or release a book until it’s guaranteed “good” is like refusing to give birth unless you know the baby will be perfect.

This is an episode for anyone wrestling with the voice that says “not good enough.” Ring o...