Write the Damn Book Already
Want to write, publish, and market your book, but feel overwhelmed by where to start?
Write the Damn Book Already breaks down the writing process, self-publishing, and traditional publishing so you can move from idea to finished book with clarity and confidence.
Hosted by Elizabeth Lyons—author, book writing coach, book editor, and self-publishing expert—this show untangles the often-confusing world of writing and publishing. From first draft to finished manuscript, indie publishing to traditional publishing, Amazon strategy to long-term book visibility, you’ll get practical guidance and honest conversations about what it really takes to get a book into the world.
Through solo episodes and interviews with both traditionally published and indie authors—across fiction and nonfiction—Elizabeth brings a well-rounded, no-hype perspective to the publishing industry. Whether you’re working on memoir, nonfiction, or a novel, you’ll walk away with clearer next steps and fewer mental roadblocks.
Write the Damn Book Already
Ep 62: Writing Through Grief with Emma Grey
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Click Here to ask your book writing and publishing questions!
When The Last Love Note by Emma Grey showed up on my doorstep, I knew we had a problem. A book with a cover that good had to have a story even better within its pages. And I wasn't wrong!
I could've talked to Emma for hours (if not days), and in the latest episode of the Write the Damn Book Already podcast, we discussed:
⭐️ The backstory behind the book and how it came to be, a bit unexpectedly.
⭐️ How long it took Emma to write while “wrangling grief.”
⭐️ Where Emma started writing her book and how that moment it came full circle when Zibby Books offered to be her US publisher
⭐️ Emma's writing process, including how long it took to get her skeleton draft (65K words) and how many drafts she went through before sending it to first publisher in Australia.
⭐️ Knowing when chapters don’t propel the story forward (and how to handle it when you're advised to cut 30K words)
⭐️ Her agent's advice on how quickly to write the first draft
⭐️ Emma's perspective on alpha readers, beta readers, prologues, and chasing 100 rejections
**WARNING: The revelation at the 41:40 mark about what happened with the acquisition of her book will shock you!
ABOUT EMMA
Emma
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.
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WONDERING EXACTLY HOW TO SELF-PUBLISH SO YOU CAN STOP GUESSING?
Grab the action plan and finally feel confident you’re doing this the right way.
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✍️ 33-DAY BOOK WRITING BOOTCAMP
You've Been Thinking About This Book Forever. So let's get it written (for real this time).
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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.
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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
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