3 Books That Have Improved My Writing and Publishing Process in the Last Year

I mentioned in one of my recent posts that the last year has been full of professional development for my author career. Having my son really motivated me in that regard, and I've been able to remain more highly focused on improving my craft throughout the year. In today's post, I want to share three books that I've found in the last year that have had a major impact on my writing and publishing process. Each book is linked below if you want to check them out. Just click on the image to open a new page with the Amazon link. 

Start Writing Your Book Today by Morgan Gist MacDonald

How did I discover this book?
I came across Morgan Gist MacDonald on Instagram a couple of years ago. I was impressed by the professional and direct manner in which she addressed authors and marketed her business. When she brought up a promotion she was having for the e-book version of her book, Start Writing Your Book Today. I decided to check it out. I read the book over the course of a week, late at night before going to bed, and I loved it so much that I purchased the physical copy and recommended the book to several others in my writing circle. 

What is the book about?
Just as the subtitle suggests, this book is a step-by-step guide to getting your book drafted. Now, this book was written specifically for non-fiction writers, but I was so inspired by the content, and I was able to easily transfer much of what was written to my fantasy novel, Bound (set to release September 30th of this year). 

What were my major take-aways? 
I took a lot away from this book (so much so that I now have the e-book and paperback versions so I could take notes and reference it often). My major take-aways? First, this book stresses the importance of writing consistently while you're working on your draft. Second, this book was incredibly helpful in pushing me to see the effectiveness of free writing, writing with a timer going, and tracking your progress. I now write with a timer every time I write. I no longer go back and re-read much when I start writing each day. Instead, I read the notes I made at the end of my last writing session, and I keep going from there. I track my words in a spreadsheet to make sure I'm reaching my goals each week. This has been incredibly motivating! This book also inspired me with its no excuses approach, which gave me the big push I really needed to write when I was awake feeding my baby at 2 A.M.

My Book Launch Planner by Stone Ridge Books and Mandi Lynn

How did I discover this book?
In August of 2023, I attended a virtual seminar in which Mandi Lynn spoke about some of the things she has done throughout her author career that have boosted her success. In her interview, she mentioned some planners that she had designed to support authors in their processes. I decided to look them up once the seminar was over. She has three planners in this series: My Novel Outline Planner, My Writing Planner, and My Book Launch Planner. After previewing them online, I decided to purchase all three. The other two are great! However, I don't really struggle with my outlining or writing process. I did, however, really need help with my book launch process and marketing. 

What is this book about?
​This planner was created as a tool to guide authors through their book launch and marketing journey. Inside, you will find support in writing different pitches, choosing your keywords and categories, email templates for reaching out to various resources (social media influencers, book stores, etc.). You will find calendars and places to put your goals and deadlines for all of your book launch avenues, and much more. 

What were my major take-aways?
As you can see from the image above, I've tabbed various sections of this book, and I've now gone through it three times. Once for the children's book I released back in January of this year (Especially You), once for my upcoming release, Bound, and once now for Bound's sequel, which is about halfway through its first draft. I think this book has been the most helpful to me this year, as I'm always looking to improve the way I market and launch my books. From this book, I learned more about using my ideal reader to guide me in writing my book pitches and creating metadata for my books. I've gained the courage to finally start reaching out to book stores and libraries, something I was absolutely terrified of doing before. I also learned about creating a street team to help spread the word about your new release as you connect to other people within the writing community. I don't think I'll ever launch another book without referring to this incredible resource first!

The Truly Successful Author by Maria Secoy

How did I discover this book?
This is another book I came across on Instagram (so if any of you are wondering if promoting your book on Instagram actually works, I can attest that it does). I was drawn in by the title. Who doesn't want to be a successful author? More than that, I have a full time job. I'm a mom. I've got other interests and hobbies, and my writing and marketing time throughout the week is extremely limited. I loved the idea of pushing myself closer to my goals with the little time I do have available for writing.

What is this book about?
Maria Secoy writes in her opening about how she has spent years ghostwriting for additional income as she worked as a teacher. She is also a mom, and her claim in that opening is that you don't have to sacrifice your valuable family time (or work time) to find success as an author. All you need to do is build your backlog of books you've published. The quickest, most effective way to do this, Secoy writes, is to publish four books per year. 

What were my major take-aways?
​I read this book on the plane rides to and from Seattle, Washington for my family vacation at the end of May this year. When I started reading the book, I was pretty skeptical. I've been able to publish one book per year easily enough, but four? I didn't know about that. But as I read, I started mapping it out, seeing where I was with my progress, and what it would take for me to publish four books per year without cutting corners or sacrificing quality. And I realized... with the drive I've had over the last year and a half and how consistently I've been writing for 30 minutes to an hour every day... it just might work for me without making too many changes. It would only take some more forethought and intentionality. I'll keep you all updated as to whether or not I'm able to follow my plan for the next couple of years, but as of right now, it seems very doable! 

I also learned a lot about resources that are available to authors for different parts of their process, and I learned quite a bit more about using your metadata to increase the visibility of your books. 

I hope you enjoyed today's post, and that you found it helpful. I know I did! (None of these were paid promotions, by the way. These are just books that I've found over the last year that have helped me a TON in my process, and I wanted to share them!) Check back next weekend for more writing related things!