Someone recently asked me how to balance book writing and marketing. What a great question!  

Watch my video below, or read the post to find out when to concentrate on your writing and when to focus on marketing. 

Hello my lovely writers!

Someone asked a good question recently and I wanted to share it, and my answer, with you.

The question was, how do you balance book writing and marketing?

Particularly as an indie author but, more increasingly if you’re a traditionally published author with a small press and you don’t have the budget from the big houses, you’ve got to do a lot of the marketing yourself. So how do you do it? 

How to balance book writing and marketing

Balancing writing and marketing is an ever-changing tide. If you’re between books and book launches, it’s a quieter time, which makes it easier to do both writing and marketing. You can devote a good chunk of your time to writing and then, depending on the time available to you, you can focus on marketing. 

In between launches, you can spend less time on marketing unless you’re actively doing promotions, putting a sale on a book or bundling some books, etc. But when it comes to launch time and you’re gearing up for a book to be published, marketing your book becomes more intense. I have certainly experienced that over the course of this year because I had three books coming out. 

That was a pretty intense time marketing-wise, as I had to let people know about the books, get them excited about them and let them know when they were coming out. Then, when my books were out, I had to ask people if they knew the books were out and point them in the direction of the reviews. 

You need to get information out there and let people know your book is available because, if you don’t let anyone know your book exists, how do they know it’s there to buy? Think of marketing as letting people know about your book. 

You need to build an email list

Like everything we do in life, there are tides, and the amount of marketing you need to do and where you focus that marketing is going to change as your career evolves and where your interest lies. 

But the most important thing to do is to build an email list. Creating an email list is the first thing you’ve got to do, as it’s the most potent part of your marketing.

If you need some help with email marketing, I have an online workshop that covers this called Email Marketing for Authors.

I hope this has helped you balance book writing and marketing.

If you’re an indie author or with a small press and you’ve got to do some of your own marketing, have a think about what time you have available to you and where you want to spend that time letting people know about your book, then just get stuck in there. 

Happy marketing!

Emma xx

Emma Dhesi

Emma Dhesi is a Certified Author Accelerator Book Coach and bestselling author who helps writers let go of perfectionism, self-doubt and writer's block through her signature programme, Unlock Your Creative Block.

She is the host of the YouTube Channel, Emma Dhesi, where she interviews debut and experienced authors alike.

Through her 1:1 coaching programme, Emma helps new authors start and finish their first novel.

Emma provides personal written feedback on their pages and guides them through the emotional rollercoaster that is writing a novel!

I have a dilemma! 

Watch my video below, or read the transcript, and let me know in the comments what you would do in my situation. 

Hello my lovely writers!

I want to share something with you I think everybody will go through at some stage, and I’m hoping this is just a rite of passage for me. 

I’ve got my new book coming out later this year and I’ve been sending it out to early readers for feedback. This is a new experience for me but I also thought it was a valuable one to share with anybody who is either in this situation or who is likely to be in the future. 

The feedback is mixed. On the whole, people are enjoying it. It’s had some high ratings but some feedback has come in telling me there’s quite a big problem with it and, if I really want this book to do well, I’ve got to fix that problem. 

I have a dilemma

So, what do I do? I have a dilemma. I’m feeling rubbish and sad about it. I’ve worked hard on this book for the last two to two and a half years, and I genuinely believe this is the best story I’ve written to date. I’m very, very proud of it, I’ve put a lot of work in and yes, I’m proud of it, but at the same time, it’s clear there are some issues. 

What I could do is say, ‘Okay, let’s leave it there. I’ve worked hard on this, just put it out, just publish the book quietly, put it out into the world and don’t make a song and dance about it. Draw a line under it, learn from it, then move on and continue with the next story.’ 

I’m reluctant to do that because I have worked so hard on it. The other alternative is to take a deep breath, have a little mope, maybe have a little cry about it and feel sorry for myself for a day. I could do that and then get back to the work of being a writer and problem-solving and troubleshooting this. 

I could let it just collapse me and think, oh my gosh, why am I even trying? This is so hard, why am I even bothering? No one’s paying me to do this, I’m doing it because I want to.

So, what do I do here? 

I do want this to be a book people love. I do want to get good reviews. I do want people to enjoy it. So I have a dilemma and I’ve got to decide. Am I going to dig deep, do the work, step back into it, revise it and see where I can fix the holes that are there and move on and make this a better book and a better story? It’s a tough decision and I’m sure either you’ve been there or you will get there and you’ll have to make this decision for yourself as well one day. 

What would you do?

With every story I write, I feel confident I’m getting better and better. I could just draw the line under it and say, ‘Okay, the next story’s going to be better than this one,’ or I come back and work on it. 

What would you do? If this was you and you were getting some feedback and it wasn’t quite where you wanted this book to be but you’re so close to putting it out in the world and publishing it, would you decide, ‘I’m going to draw a line under it and move on,’ or would you say, ‘No, I’m going to go back and revise this and do the difficult job of getting back into the weeds with this story and do another round of revisions.’? 

What would you do? I don’t know what to do. The easy option feels like it would be to just put it behind me and move on and the difficult decision is to get back into the weeds. 

So, I’m curious. Share with me, what would you do? Put in the comments what you would do if it was you. You’d spent all this time on it. Can you give it another six to twelve months or would you just want to say, ‘Let’s move on’?

I’ll let you know what I decide. 

Emma xx

Emma Dhesi

Emma Dhesi is a Certified Author Accelerator Book Coach and bestselling author who helps writers let go of perfectionism, self-doubt and writer's block through her signature programme, Unlock Your Creative Block.

She is the host of the YouTube Channel, Emma Dhesi, where she interviews debut and experienced authors alike.

Through her 1:1 coaching programme, Emma helps new authors start and finish their first novel.

Emma provides personal written feedback on their pages and guides them through the emotional rollercoaster that is writing a novel!

Hiring an editor is scary but you need to frame it as an investment in yourself, not just an investment in your book. 

Watch my video below, or read the transcript, to find out why you are worthy of investment. 

Hello my lovely writers!

I’ve made a big step forward in my writing career and I wanted to share it with you because, on the one hand, I’m super-super-excited about it but, on the other hand, I’m also a bit scared about it. 

Hiring an editor is scary

I’ve just hired an editor for my next book and it’s scary because that person is going to be giving their feedback on my work. They’re going to tell me whether they think this is a job well done, along with what’s working but, crucially, of course, what’s not working and where they see problems. 

Now, for all I know, they could come back at any time and say, ‘It’s all a mess, it’s all a problem, you need to go back to the drawing board and start again.’ 

Of course, being a creative, hiring an editor and putting my work out there for someone else to critique, my mind immediately goes to the worst. My mind immediately makes the worst assumptions because it’s wanting to say to me, ‘Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Keep your work to yourself. Don’t show it to anybody because that’s the way you’ll stay safe. The way you can still feel good about yourself is by not doing something you perceive as dangerous.’ 

But I’ve got to do it, haven’t I? I want to make my work better. I want to make the stories better and improve myself as a craftsperson and as a writer. So it’s important I do it. 

There’s also the secondary fear that comes with spending money on hiring an editor – and not an insubstantial amount of money, either. That also brings fear because, obviously, there’s no guarantee working with this editor means I’m suddenly going to have this bestselling book and I’m going to recoup the investment I’ve made in my book. There’s no guarantees in that. 

Invest in yourself

I have to be brave and know I’m doing this for me and seeing it as an investment in myself, rather than an investment in the book. I’ve got to frame it that way for myself to make sure I view this as a worthwhile expenditure. That it’s an investment and I’m not just spending money for the sake of it because I’ve nothing better to do with my time. I need to tell myself this is going to help me get to where I want to be in the long term. 

Both of those things are scary. Both the spending of money because, as writers – and women in particular – we don’t like to spend money on ourselves. We find spending money on ourselves hard and we feel guilty about it, so I’m having to dig deep into that and trust myself I’m doing the right thing. 

Also, on the emotional side, I need to trust I’m doing the right thing by putting myself forward, investing in my craft and helping me in the long term. I need to trust the editor who’s going to be helping me is doing it with the best of intentions, wants me to succeed and wants me to do well just as much as I do. 

So, lots of things going on there in my heart and in my head but, I know if I do this, this will get me where I want to be in the long term. 

If you’re having these same mindset queries about whether you’re worthy or not, just know it’s the same for everybody and you do deserve it, you are worthy. Your books and your stories are fabulous and you want to put them out in the world. 

Emma xx

Emma Dhesi

Emma Dhesi is a Certified Author Accelerator Book Coach and bestselling author who helps writers let go of perfectionism, self-doubt and writer's block through her signature programme, Unlock Your Creative Block.

She is the host of the YouTube Channel, Emma Dhesi, where she interviews debut and experienced authors alike.

Through her 1:1 coaching programme, Emma helps new authors start and finish their first novel.

Emma provides personal written feedback on their pages and guides them through the emotional rollercoaster that is writing a novel!

Comedians and writers approach their craft differently.

Watch my video below, or read the transcript, to find out the difference. 

Hello my lovely writers!

We had the Edinburgh International Festival here throughout August, so there’s been lots of comedy on and a friend recommended I go and see a certain comedian. He was very funny and got nominated for a prize, which I found out when my friend sent me a screenshot and said, ‘Look, he’s been nominated for a prize.’ 

Next to that comedian’s name was the name of another comedian, a young woman with an unusual name, which I recognised straight away as the daughter of an ex-boss of mine. I immediately went onto YouTube to find out about her because I’d met her once when she was about six and now here she was, all grown up and performing stand-up comedy live on stage. 

I said to myself, ‘My goodness, I’ve got to find out about her comedy and what she’s doing. Is she funny? Is she not? What’s going on?’ So I looked her up on YouTube and watched all the clips that came up and, what I noticed was, because she was getting established – and I think this is probably similar for all comedians – she had a set she’d put together and was practising that set. 

She’d get up on stage at university gigs and small club gigs – wherever she was touring on the circuit – and she’d perform the same set. It was interesting to see how she’d tweak this and tweak that, pause in different places and put emphasis on different words depending on the audience’s reaction. I could see her watch the audience, trying to gauge their response and work out how they were responding to her and the material. 

How comedians and writers approach their craft differently

I’m so glad I don’t have to do that. I am so glad I don’t need to take my early drafts and go up on stage and read them out in front of an audience who, let’s be honest – comedy audiences, particularly on a Friday night – are almost baying for you to fail. They want to see what you’re made of. They want to test your mettle. 

Imagine doing that night after night after night. My nerves would be shot. As writers, we’re lucky we don’t have to do that. As writers, we get to sit at our desk in the privacy of our own home and revise and revise and revise and then we can ask people to read snippets of our work and, with it being a writing environment, everyone’s very supportive. 

We don’t have a live audience who have had a few drinks baying for our blood and willing us to fail. Instead, we get to do it in a nice, calm, private way where we can take our time, revise things and get them to a state where we are happy to share them. 

You’re in your own hands

I thought that was a really interesting thing to share and so, if you are procrastinating about getting started, just know you’re in safe hands because you’re in your own hands. You’ve not got an audience waiting to pull you down as they sit in stony silence and give you no respect or response. You get to do this for yourself. 

So, don’t be waiting, don’t be holding on to the story idea you want to share and criticising yourself before you’ve even written anything down. Know that you’re doing it in a safe space and know that the people who you will eventually share it with are going to be supportive and encouraging.

Also, just be thankful you’re not a comedian having to do it live on stage. 

Take courage. Take courage from comedians and know that that’s what they’re doing and you don’t have to do that. It’s safe for you to write your early drafts of your novel. 

 So, go for it. Go ahead and do it. You’ve only got yourself to impress.

Emma xx

Emma Dhesi

Emma Dhesi is a Certified Author Accelerator Book Coach and bestselling author who helps writers let go of perfectionism, self-doubt and writer's block through her signature programme, Unlock Your Creative Block.

She is the host of the YouTube Channel, Emma Dhesi, where she interviews debut and experienced authors alike.

Through her 1:1 coaching programme, Emma helps new authors start and finish their first novel.

Emma provides personal written feedback on their pages and guides them through the emotional rollercoaster that is writing a novel!

Knowing how to accept feedback isn’t always easy but it’s all part of the writing process. 

Watch my video below, or read the transcript, to find out why receiving feedback doesn’t have to be scary. 

Hello my lovely writers!

Unless it’s your first time here, you’ll know I’m a fiction writer who writes psychological thrillers. I’m also an Author Accelerator Certified Coach who specialises in helping first-time writers write their debut novel, which is something I love doing as I get to be in on the ground with some amazing new voices coming through. 

I’m currently writing another book, which will be released later this year. I’ve been getting some feedback on my ARC review copies and have been told there’s a bit in my storyline I need to tweak. 

I wasn’t sure what to do.

Do I take it to heart what people were saying or do I say, no, I’m going to leave the book as it is? Do I make those revisions? Do I not? Do I draw a line under the sand? What do I do?  

How to accept feedback on your writing

Another few days rolled by and it reminded me it’s so necessary to take a moment when we get given feedback, both good and bad. We need to take a moment to reflect on the feedback and think, okay, do I agree with what that person said? Can I see where their comments might have some merit? Or do I not agree and don’t think they’re right about this?

Being given feedback on my writing has been good for me. I had a chance to reflect, I had a chance to talk to my coach about it and think about whether I want to make these changes or not and, do you know what? I have made some changes and was very pleased to find out those tweaks were easier to make than I had anticipated. 

I wanted to share with you that, if you’re not yet at the point where you’re getting people feeding back on your work, this is part of the writing journey. It doesn’t matter if you’re an indie author or if you’re traditionally published, at some stage your book is going to be reviewed, either by reviewers, the general public or possibly even peer reviewed. It might be reviewed by other writers in your genre or writers who share the same publisher or agent as you. 

It’s all part of the process

But at some stage, your book is going to get read before it goes on general release so you and the publisher, if you have one, can receive feedback on what’s working, what’s not working, and if there is anything that needs a last minute tweak or change. 

I spoke to a student the other day about how, just when we think we’ve finished the story, just when we think we’ve done all we can do with it, there’s always a bit of room for improvement. Receiving feedback from others is when we get to know what feedback is needed, how much is needed but we also learn not to panic and over-worry about receiving feedback. 

If you are at that stage, take comfort. I want you to take comfort from my experience and  know that getting feedback and knowing how to accept feedback is all part of the process. 

Emma xx

Emma Dhesi

Emma Dhesi is a Certified Author Accelerator Book Coach and bestselling author who helps writers let go of perfectionism, self-doubt and writer's block through her signature programme, Unlock Your Creative Block.

She is the host of the YouTube Channel, Emma Dhesi, where she interviews debut and experienced authors alike.

Through her 1:1 coaching programme, Emma helps new authors start and finish their first novel.

Emma provides personal written feedback on their pages and guides them through the emotional rollercoaster that is writing a novel!