Joining me today is Mrs. Amanda Warfield, content creation guru, and newly published author! I was introduced to Amanda via a Youtuber who was singing Amanda's praises as the queen of Content Batching - that's a technique where you create a month's worth of content (from blogs, podcasts, and videos to reels, TikToks, and YouTube shorts) in just a week. Yes..you read that right, in just seven days.
I joined Club Content Batching and was impressed by how "simple" Amanda's technique was. Much like my own Simply Self-Published program, Amanda's breakdown of content creation was game-changing and I've used it ever since.
The techniques in Chasing Simple Marketing are just as impactful and will get their own post so stay tuned; I'm doing a full review of the book and why it will be my number one resource as I up-level my marketing game.
For today's post, I wanted to introduce you to Amanda, the business owner and first-time writer. For any business owners who are thinking about writing a book as a way to showcase their business, this post is for you!
Tell a little about your background.
I’m a simplicity-focused content marketing and launch strategist and copywriter. Originally, I went to school for teaching, but after teaching for a few years, wanted a job with a bit more freedom. In 2018, I started my business, and over the years it has evolved and changed to become what it is today!
What drew you to writing?
Being such an avid bookworm, I had always envisioned that one day I would write a book. Although I originally envisioned that I’d write some sort of fiction series, and instead I ended up writing a non-fiction book and becoming a copywriter for a living!
What led you in that direction?
It just sort of evolved naturally over time. As I’ve written copy for my clients, and chatted with students about their marketing struggles, it became clear that I had a lot to say on the topic of simplifying marketing – enough to write a book!
What is your writing process? Do you write every day? How long?
For the writing process, I actually booked an AirBnb for a week to knock out the first draft. I went in with my full outline ready, and by the end of the week, I had finished almost all of the book. Then, I just spent the first hour of my workday writing until the draft was finished, and it took me about another 2-3 hours.
How do you manage writing with the rest of your life, roles, and responsibilities?
I knew that I would have a hard time with managing writing with everything else, which is why I opted to knock it out as quickly as possible. Once the writing part was over, and we moved into things like editing, I would continue to set aside the first hour of each workday just for book things. Sometimes that meant editing, sometimes it meant marketing, sometimes it was administrative tasks.
Is this your first book? How long did it take you to get it finished? How did you feel once it was complete / published / in your hands?
It is! I began the brainstorming process in June 2022, and the book launched July 2023, so it took just over a year to go from brainstormed to launched into the world. And every step of the way felt completely surreal. I think what made me the most emotional was seeing it in Kindle format as I was editing the interior. For some reason, that made it feel more real than anything else had!
What qualities do you believe a writer must possess to be successful?
The ability to pick themselves back up and keep going. A project as large as writing a book, especially one where you’re putting so much of yourself into it – there are going to be some really hard days. Days where you don’t believe in yourself, in your work, or your ability to reach the finish line. But you’ve got to be able to pick yourself back up the next day and keep taking the next step forward.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers who want to self-publish?
Either have strong project management skills or hire a book coach* that can walk you every step of the way. There are a LOT of moving pieces for self-publishing, and if you can’t successfully manage a large project, you’ll struggle.
*I did not ask/pay her to say that :-)
But since she did, I added the link to my 1:1 coaching
packages. Just in case
How much time have you invested in learning how to market your works and what has and hasn’t worked for you so far?
As a marketer, I guess you could say that my entire job has been practice in learning what works and what doesn’t. But, as far as book-specific marketing goes, I’m not far enough into that journey to feel confident sharing exactly what works – I’d love to write a guest blog post in the future once I’ve learned more!*
*Emphasis is mine as you know I'll
be inviting her to share her wisdom
on book marketing!
What are you working on now?
For now, my focus is to continue marketing the book itself. As wonderful as the launch went, I know that book marketing is something that has to continue to be successful. So, I’ll be spending my time focusing on continuing to spread the word about Chasing Simple Marketing!
What are you most proud of when it comes to your writing?
I’m proud to have actually finished an entire book that is out there helping other entrepreneurs simplify their marketing. When I first decided to write a book, I had a lot of imposter syndrome around wondering if I even had enough to say to fill an entire book. And then, once I’d written enough to fill an entire book, I had a lot of imposter syndrome around whether or not it would be helpful. So I’m most proud to have pushed past the thoughts and gotten my book out there.
How can readers and other writers reach you?
My email is hello@amandawarfield.com, or you can find me over on Instagram and send me a DM – my username is @mrsamandawarfield
What is one thing you would like us to know about you and your writing?
I could not have done it without the help of so many people! I had two editors (one for content, and one for grammar), a cover designer, beta readers, a launch team, and a Virtual Assistant that all helped make this book possible. The rough draft I wrote originally wasn’t even half the book that it is now, and it became what it is because I accepted the help from so many.
Website: https://amandawarfield.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mrsamandawarfield/
And there you have it. I've already added Chasing Simple Marketing to my resource library and will be recommending it to all of my clients for the foreseeable future. It truly is an actionable, simple approach to marketing.
Thank you Amanda for spending time with me here on the blog, and as always, thank you, dear reader. Sending light & inspiration,
Dana
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