Yep. It's finally happening. And I have a commitment I'm only sharing with you all, because you guys "get it"! I want to publish my book on July 4th. And man, the first rough draft is ROUGH! I'm telling myself that I need to write without judgment. And my husband reminded me of an awesome quote from Terry Pratchett: “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” So that's what I'm doing. Whenever I have a moment, I try to get some words down. The other day I had to sit in the barn waiting for my horses to finish eating and sat with my mud covered boots and barn hoodie soaked from the rain and got some words in on my phone. Thank goodness for Google Docs! We'll see if I keep writing in Google Docs. For me right now, it makes the most sense. But I am a super visual person and have been toying with the idea of switching to something that allows me to see the plot better and more visually. There's lots of options out there, but I am picky about user interface! That's all. I just wanted to share that with my fellow writers and authors. 🕯️ What software/platform do you use to write your books with?

If you could only focus on ONE thing in your author business right now to move the needle, what would it be? - Writing the next book - Editing or revising - Growing your email list - Marketing your backlist - Learning ads or promo strategy - Organizing your systems - Something else entirely There’s no wrong answer here! Clarity often starts with naming your focus. 👉 Drop your “one thing” in the comments. Sometimes seeing what others are prioritizing helps everything feel less noisy.

So many writers get stuck because they want their first draft to sound brilliant. The truth is, it probably will not. And that is completely fine. A first draft is not meant to impress anyone. It is simply you pouring the story out of your heart and onto the page. It is you figuring things out. Give yourself permission to write imperfectly. Write messy. Write honestly. Stop trying to fix every sentence while you are still creating it. Finishing your draft matters more than polishing it. You can always edit later, but you cannot edit a blank page. The more you move forward, the more confident you become. And confidence is what helps you finish books. Today, try something simple. Set a timer for 30 minutes and just write. Do not delete. Do not scroll back. Do not overthink. Just keep going. What might change in your writing journey if you stopped criticizing every sentence and simply allowed yourself to create?

It’s easy to get caught up in marketing tactics: posting on social media, booking promos, tweaking ads, trying the next new thing. But tactics work best when they’re guided by an actual strategy. A simple way to think about marketing strategy is this: 👉 How do readers discover your books and what do you want them to do next? If you're feeling overwhelmed with your marketing, ask yourself these questions: - Who am I trying to reach right now? - Where do those readers already hang out? - What’s my primary goal this season. . . sales, list growth, reviews, visibility? - How does my current marketing strategy support that goal? You don’t need to do it all! You just need your concentrated, intentional efforts to point in the same direction.

Do promo sites and Amazon free days actually work?Or are we all just clicking “book now” and hoping for the best? Maybe you’ve: - Booked one random promo and crossed your fingers - Used your free days without much of a strategy - Wondered if stacking sites really makes a difference - Or avoided it altogether because you don’t want to waste money Most authors simply haven’t been shown a clear, repeatable system. That’s exactly why I created Stack & Scale Week (Feb 23–27). This isn’t about hacking algorithms. It's not about chasing a badge. And it’s definitely not about throwing money at promo sites and praying. It’s about being intentional! Inside Stack & Scale Week, I’ll walk you through step by step how to: • Set a realistic promo budget (without overspending) • Choose reputable promo sites that reach real readers • Stack promos strategically during your free or discounted days • Track and evaluate results so you can refine and repeat Marketing your books should never feel like a gamble. It should feel like a plan! A strategy. When promo weeks are done thoughtfully, they can support: ✔ Reader growth ✔ List building ✔ Long-term momentum ✔ Honest reviews and social proof No hype. No overnight fame promises. Just strategy you can implement and feel good about. If you want more clarity around how to approach promo stacking wisely, I’d love to have you join us! 👉 Join Stack & Scale Week here: https://www.lornakbailey.com/stack-scale-week And I’m curious — what’s been your experience with promo sites so far? Let’s talk about it below. 💬