No matter if you’re publishing traditionally or using self or hybrid publishing methods, holding your own book is exciting. . .and a lot of work.
Writing Tip for Today: Here are some of the common ways writers experience book publication:
Walk on Air
My tenth book is a 90-day devotional. CARRY ME THROUGH: 90 Devotions for When You Can’t Go On releases in April of this year (2026) from AMG Publishers. And you bet I’m excited! Even after decades of learning the craft, teaching, editing and coaching writers, each time I see my work in print, it’s like the first byline again.
While I understand the prevailing wisdom says to find your niche and stick with it, I’ve written novels, poetry, nonfiction and news articles. This is my first devotional—although I’m a regular contributor to Guideposts magazines and specialty volumes like All God’s Creatures.
As I wrote, I learned so much about devotionals and how a book-length is different from single devotional stories. In Carry Me Through I needed each entry to both stand alone and fit into a story arc. Since I’m more of a pantster than an outliner, I also got to rewrite several that were about the same story. Lesson learned. Yet more than anything I’m so happy that soon I’ll be sharing it with the world.
Beg for Help
Before I ever hold my baby in my hands, I need to think about how to get my book into people’s hands. You can’t buy a book you’ve never heard of! To that end, asking for presales on platforms such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble or Christianbook.com is part of the game. This is my first book for AMG, so I’m not yet sure how they handle this, but it can’t hurt to beg readers to preorder CARRY ME THROUGH.
After the release, I’ll do events such as signings and speaker engagements, as well as any podcasts I can wrangle my way onto. I’ll contact radio stations I’ve been on before and approach major sites to write guest posts.
I won’t forget word-of-mouth, either. I’ll contact churches where I think interest may run and churches or women’s studies or book clubs where I’ve done events in the past. Everything helps!
Look Ahead
If all that sounds exhausting, it is. Like many authors, I would rather write than market or promote. But people can’t buy CARRY ME THROUGH if they don’t know it exists. So many writers are loathe to hawk their books. It’s a vital part of writing, though. Just try to build relationships with potential readers before you hammer them with “Buy my book!”
After I release a book, I try (and sometimes fail) at balancing my promo efforts with my next project. I find it works best if I schedule parts of my writing week for promotion but leave time for next-thing ideas, proposals and/or queries.
After that five minutes of excitement when you hold your book, a let-down feeling can quickly take its place. Try to keep the next exciting project in reserve. You’ll be able to turn to that next project if the let-down happens. As for me, CARRY ME THROUGH: a 90-day Devotional for When You Can’t Go On is still in the exciting phase. I’d love it if you preordered it—and after you hold that baby in your hands, leave a great review. And thank you for your support. Keep Writing!
