Please Don’t Wait Until Your Book Is Finished to Find Your Readers
Without fail, at least a few times a month, I find myself sitting across from an author on Zoom whose manuscript has been turned in for formatting and who is attempting to shift gears from author to marketer.
And without fail, when I ask them what they have been doing to find their readers and serve them well throughout the manuscript-writing process, they stare back at me like poor baby deer in the headlights and a solid 30 seconds of silence follows.
They start to get a little shifty in their chair when I ask follow-up questions in an effort to determine where they are, where they are going, and how the heck they’re going to get there.
It’s a truly uncomfortable 5–10 minutes.
Especially when I ask this question: If no one knows who you are or that you’ve written a book, how will people find and read it?
I never mean it as an insult. I’m not trying to be negative. It just seems like no one is talking realistically with authors these days about finding their readers and then serving them well while the author is writing the book.
In fact, for some of the most earnest, faithful writers I work with, this idea comes as a complete and total surprise. And it completely breaks my heart. If I could time travel, I would absolutely go back in time and help them create a sustainable system for writing and publishing regularly while also writing a manuscript.
Your Manuscript Isn’t Your Entire Writing Life
Your manuscript is one part of your writing life. Building relationships with the people who might eventually read that manuscript is another.
You don’t have to become a full-time content creator. You don’t have to spend every waking minute creating Reels, designing graphics, and figuring out whatever Meta decided to change this week. But you do need a consistent way to show up, write something useful, and let people get to know you before release day.
At least, you do if you want people waiting for the book when it finally arrives.
And do you want to know what the coolest part of this is? It doesn’t cost you a penny. Substack is completely free to join. It’s completely free to post on. AND it even gives you the option of monetizing, so you can actually make some money instead of bleeding more money in your quest to do this author life well.
Isn’t that refreshing?
If you’re staring at this post right now with that same baby deer in the headlights look, it’s okay. It’s never too late to start. But I’d love to encourage you to do just that: start.
Before You Start Posting, Remember Why You’re Writing
Sometimes I think we need a gentle reminder of why we started writing in the first place, to give us the encouragement we need to return to the page with discipline.
That’s the first thing I would encourage you to do today. Think about your why. Are you writing because you know it is truly a calling? Maybe you have always been drawn to create and know you need to share your stories with the world. Or maybe you have a heart for a particular audience and recognize writing is your ministry to them.
We are all different. Our motivation is different. Our why is different. But that doesn’t mean that your why is any less important than my why or any other author’s why.
So, right now, take a few minutes, get out your journal, and freewrite about your why. Why are you writing? Who are you writing for? What do you hope changes for them because you showed up and wrote the thing?
Once you remember well what your why is, come back.
Your Blog Doesn’t Have to Compete With Your Manuscript
Now that you remember your why, let’s talk about the logistics of writing both long-form content you’re publishing somewhere—Substack, cough, cough—and writing a manuscript.
Let me just lead with one giant acknowledgment: writing a manuscript is exhausting. It’s emotionally, mentally, and oftentimes even spiritually taxing. Can I get an amen?
For many of you, the thought of trying to tackle a manuscript AND a long-form piece every week makes you want to stop reading and unsubscribe. Don’t do that. Please. Trust me on this.
I’m working with an amazing client right now. Every week when we chat about her newest chapter, she tells me about all the great material she took out of the current chapter we’re discussing. And every week, I remind her not to get rid of that material because that material should, inevitably, find its way into a blog post.
Your blog doesn’t have to compete with your manuscript. It can grow out of it.
For those of you who are writing and finding you have too much to say on a subject for it to fit in one chapter, this is your gentle reminder to never throw any material away. Save it and use it to write long-form content.
For those of you who don’t have extra stories and teaching lying around, you don’t have to start from scratch. Look at the themes of the chapters of your manuscript. Make a list of them. Then brainstorm blog post ideas for each theme. Brainstorm blog series ideas for each theme. And if your brain is fried, put your list into an AI tool and ask it to act as an author coach to help you brainstorm ideas.
Once you have a list of blog series and blog post ideas, choose one to write about each week.
You know what the most common thing I hear from my authors who are both writing manuscripts and blog posts is? It’s this: blog writing becomes much easier after chapter writing. Chapters are so much more difficult to write than 800–1,200-word blog posts.
And since manuscript writing is daunting and emotionally exhausting, it feels good to take a break from it once a week and focus on something shorter and a little less emotionally exhausting.
So, win-win, right? You get a break from your emotional exhaustion, AND your readers get something of value from you that serves them well.
But Am I Giving Away My Book?
I know what some of you are thinking.
If I write about the same things I’m writing about in my manuscript, why would anyone buy the book? Aren’t I just giving everything away for free?
No.
Your book is the deep dive. Your weekly writing lets you have conversations around the ideas your book explores. You aren’t publishing Chapter Four on Substack. You’re talking about the themes, questions, experiences, and stories surrounding Chapter Four.
You’re giving your readers reasons to care about the conversation long before they even know your book exists.
And when your book finally does arrive, you aren’t introducing yourself to a room full of strangers and asking them to buy something from you. You’ve already been showing up. You’ve already been serving them. They already know why this conversation matters to them.
That’s a very different place to launch a book from.
Why I Keep Talking About Substack
Here’s the cool part about this entire process. Substack is such an amazing and safe place for authors.
I’m so over Meta and its algorithms—but that’s a post for another day—but I am loving Substack and how its platform rewards writers for showing up, being consistent, and serving their readers.
When you, as an author, show up on Substack, write for your audience, engage with other authors who also serve your readers and your secondary audiences, and begin to build relationships with those authors, Substack sees it.
Then they start showing readers who read similar topics YOUR work—you know, like it makes sense to do.
Unlike Meta, consistency and engagement can actually grow your readership on Substack.
Have I convinced you yet?
If You Need Help Getting Started
If you’re thinking, Okay, Kristen, I’m convinced, but I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing on Substack, I get it.
I’m actually doing a completely free workshop on Substack next week where we’re going to talk about how authors can use Substack to find their people and serve them well.
You can find all the details in my private Facebook Group for Authors, The Visible Author. If you aren’t a member, feel free to join!
But if what you really need is someone to sit across from you, look at what you’re writing, and help you build a content rhythm that actually fits your manuscript and your life, that’s exactly the kind of thing I do in coaching.
Just reply to this email and tell me where you’re stuck.
Reflection Questions
Why are you writing your book, and who are you ultimately hoping it serves?
What themes, stories, teaching, or material from your manuscript could become long-form content for your readers right now?
If your book were finished tomorrow, would there already be people waiting to read it? If not, what is one small way you could begin showing up for those readers this week?
I write in two spaces. A Seat at the Table is where I explore faith, healing, and making room for honesty after it’s been made complicated. Ink & Intention is for writers who want to show up with clarity, discernment, and integrity—especially online.
I’m also the author of Breathing Again and several guided journals, and I work with writers who want thoughtful, grounded support as they find their voice and shape what comes next.
If you’re a writer looking for thoughtful encouragement, practical strategy, and honest conversations about the writing life, you’re also welcome to join us inside The Visible Author Facebook Community.
If something here resonated, you’re welcome to explore more at your own pace. You can find everything in one place at KristenNeighbarger.com.
