Hey Reader,

Kitten update!

Narra, my little princess and writing companion, has been settling in nicely in her new home! She has found her favorite sunbeam spot, where she is sitting, pictured here, soaking up some of the sun we were lucky enough to have one day this past autumn. She loves looking out windows and observing the world around her, especially when a bird flies by, eats from the bird feeder, or she sees a fall leaf swoop by her window.

Look for her at an upcoming Zoom workshop or meeting inside my Skool community! 🦫

Let's talk about getting your book right... 🎯

There are several common mistakes I see authors make all the time - and one of them is formatting.

They either use Word to format their book (because it's free), aren't sure of how to format properly, don't use a style guide when editing their book, and believe they are helping their book formatter by formatting their manuscript inside Word or Google Docs.

The truth is, well, nothing is further from these statements, because they aren't true. And making these mistakes not only cost you money, but precious time. I've seen authors move back their publish date three to six months because they weren't sure how to self-publish their book, or they thought they knew what they were doing, but they received bad, or just plain wrong advice online.

For example, I was part of a KDP Skool community, where the community owner told her members that they could use the FREE Amazon ISBN and sell their book at conferences, speaking engagements. That is completely wrong! Not only is that information wrong, but it can get an author banned from ever selling their books on Amazon again. And that isn't just bad advice, but creating a disservice to her community members. 🦫

Why What You Don't Know about Publishing Can Hurt You...

💸 Bad information costs you real money. The self-publishing world is full of advice that sounds helpful but is flat-out wrong. I’ve seen it firsthand and I hear more about it every time I talk to a new author. When you don’t know the rules, you’re vulnerable to costly mistakes you didn’t even know you were making that not only costs you money, but your time, which you can never get back.

⏰ Guesswork delays your launch. So many authors push their publish date back three to six months, or more, not because their book isn’t ready, but because they weren’t sure how to self-publish or they followed bad advice online. Formatting in Word, skipping a style guide, or trying to “help” your formatter by prepping the manuscript yourself creates more problems than it solves. Those detours steal time you could have spent connecting with readers.

📚 Professional knowledge protects your investment. You’ve poured your heart, your expertise, and your money into your book. Trying to shortcut the process with free tools and unverified tips puts all of that at risk. Knowing what you’re doing, or working with someone who does, means your book gets published correctly the first time, protecting both your timeline and your credibility.

Want to give the gift of writing a book to a friend?

I recently published "From Idea to Outline in One Weekend," so that new and returning authors can take the right steps to find out their niche. It's a great gift to that special someone in your life who "has a book in their head" and never stops talking about it! Now they can take action, and stop wasting their time overthinking. They can complete their outline and be ready to write their rough draft in as little as three days!

​Get the complete playbook (for a friend!) that walks you through every decision, every exercise, and every step from concept to finished outline in three days.​

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💡Final Thoughts:

Self-publishing gives you incredible freedom, but that freedom comes with responsibility. The authors who succeed aren't the ones who cut corners or trust every piece of advice floating around online. They're the ones who take the time to learn the process, or surround themselves with coaches who can confidently guide them in the right direction based on their book goals. Your book is too important to leave to guesswork. Protect your time, your money, and your reputation by getting it right the first time. When you do, you'll walk into your launch with confidence instead of crossed fingers. 🦫

🔰💪🔰 Want to learn more? 🔰💪🔰

🎙️ Episode 53 on YouTube is essential watching if you're self-publishing, because I'm revealing the five costliest mistakes new authors make. I can't impress on you enough that you cannot afford amateur formatting that gives a bad first impression. Readers notice wrong fonts and clumsy layouts immediately, especially those who read widely in your genre. I start with the number one mistake that cost my client thousands: formatting before all editing is complete. She paid to format her book before we finished all four editing types (developmental, line, copy, and proofreading), then had to pay all over again when editing changed the content.

From there, I break down the rest: assuming one format works for every book type when each has its own technical requirements and file types Amazon won't accept if done wrong, relying on manual formatting with hard returns and extra spaces (or worse, formatting in Word, which looks unprofessional and often gets rejected), and ignoring the industry standards that professional readers recognize in an instant. 🎥 Watch Episode 53 and subscribe for more publishing insights.

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🤝 Client Testimonial of the Week

After I finished writing my manuscript, I knew I'd want to find a team to help me bring it to the next level prior to publishing. I took a ton of meetings, phone calls and zooms until I landed on Write For You. I wanted my voice and story to feel like mine while going through a 'polish' and that's exactly what they did for me. Write For You respected my story and my writing style. They offered suggestions but never pushed their own style on me. I never felt like I wasn't still in control of what was a very personal project for me. The working process was smooth and very quick. If I could give them a six-star rating, I would!

-Jay Barbanel

Ready to get your book professionally formatted?

I'm currently running a special package for book formatting, cover design, and KDP upload for indie authors. Interested? Reply back with "Send me your deal!" and I'll send you the information. Only six spaces left, so reply back today!

Happy writing! 🦫

Your Publishing Partner,

Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis

P.S. – Are you looking for a fresh set of eyes on your manuscript for a review? Grab a spot on my Self-Publishing Discovery Call calendar to find out how quick and easy this process can be!