The Online Writing Club: Guest Author Essays

How I Wrote My Second Book in Half the Time (And Made It Twice as Good)

Kristina God, MBA — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 11:11:37 GMT

The journey of writing my first book, "Meeting People In Real Life," was like walking through a dark forest without a map. Armed with determination and countless lattes, I spent nine months finding my way through the book-writing wilderness.

Fast forward to my second book, "Letting Go Right Now," which was a vastly different journey. I completed my second book-writing adventure in less time and am far more satisfied with my result!

Here's what I discovered that guided me in navigating my path to my second book:

My second book: the lessons I learned from writing my first book were key to creating this one.

My Compass - Knowing My Reader

My first book suffered from a rookie mistake - I wrote it for myself. It was only through growing my Substack audience that I discovered a crucial insight: many of my readers were women who expressed strong interest in transforming from some past part of their lives to embracing a new opportunity or version of themselves in the future.

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By reading (and re-reading) my audience’s comments and questions, I recognized this common interest in moving on from past experiences. This idea became the foundation for "Letting Go Right Now," - which I believe resonates much more deeply with my audience.

Means Of Travel - Writing in Micro-bursts

The way I got through my writing journey, my “means of travel,” was to write daily in 250-word micro-bursts. Forget ambitious writing goals; I learned that these are motivation killers.

When I wrote “Meeting People In Real Life,” I discovered that my initial target of ten pages per week was unsustainable. Over time, I discovered the micro-burst magic of writing just 250 words daily. This modest goal transformed my writing process. Those first 250 words often inspired me to keep going and I found myself easily writing 1,000 words or more. The key? Making the daily target so achievable that failure is impossible.

Pro tip: I recently started sharpening my writing skills by publishing 100-word Substack notes every weekday. I do this because it hones my writing and forces me to be extremely clear about my message. (Now you can also schedule your Notes!)

Expedition Support Team - Outsource Where It Makes Sense

I didn't go alone when I went on a hiking trek in Peru’s mountains. I had a team that included a guide, a cook, and horsemen who transported our camp and gear. Writing a book is also an arduous trek! So, finding (and hiring) a support team to help you with difficult but essential parts is worthwhile.

For "Letting Go Right Now," I outsourced:

Book cover design - For “Letting Go Right Now,” my designer got it right the first time!
Amazon A+ Content creation - I hired a professional who created great A+ Content for my Amazon page.

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Book description copywriting - I use this description on my Amazon page.
Audiobook narration - This was my first time making an audiobook, so hiring a professional narrator greatly streamlined this process.

Outsourcing these parts of my book freed my time to focus on writing the highest quality content and connecting here with my audience on Substack!

I hope the results of these lessons show the quality of my new book. I feel that not only is “Letting Go Right Now” a better book overall, but I completed my journey in much less time than it took me to write my first book.

Whether you're writing your first book or your fifth, these principles can guide you to create something truly remarkable - and complete your journey in far less time than you might think.

Matt is on fire! Online Club member and author Tomporowski writes “Chasing Dreams In Middle Life” on Substack and…

…his new book, “Letting Go Right Now,” is available on Amazon.

You can read it and support Matt to reach 50 reviews on Amazon, the pinnacle of success.

Meet Book Publishing Mastermind Matt LIVE!

Are you dreaming of writing a book or finally finishing your book? Do you want to get positive Amazon reviews or need advice? Do you want to start a Book Launch Club or market your book via social media and/or Notes?

Then book publishing mastermind of The Online Writing Club Matt is your man!

Meet Online Writing Club member for a special Q&A session to ask all your Qs. I know is writing a book. sold over 100 copies of his first book, a young adult novel, and 40 copies of his children’s picture book. Many more are thinking about finally publishing their book or promoting it more to keep selling it.

Club members are all set and will get the invite and Zoom link.
If you’re not a member yet, become a paid Club member today and unlock ALL the good stuff inside the paid membership experience (Chat, live sessions, writing workshops, discounts on Bootcamps/courses, access to coaching, annual member: access to invite-only writing community of 300+ and courses (Substack School, Medium School, new launches).

YAY! Book publishing is my dream.

Oh, and here’s Matt’s first guest post on publishing his first book and getting authentic positive book reviews:

Let me join the CLUB to publish my book!

Are you writing a book, want to market it, or need help publishing it? Hit reply!

😱 Medium Will SHIFT! My Uncensored Predictions for 2025

Kristina God, MBA — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 22:08:28 GMT

Just shared this gem in our Online Writing Club chat:

… and I couldn’t wait to tell you:

“The most successful people just keep trying sh*t. And they never stop. So just start. You’ll figure the rest out later.”

Isn’t that a message to live by? Whether you’re already writing on the buzzy platform Medium (like so many of our club members) or just thinking about taking the plunge, now is the perfect time to bet on yourself besides all those “horror stories” about the platform.

That’s why I’m thrilled to announce something truly special: my friend and Medium Boost nominator, , is going live to share his uncensored predictions for Medium in 2025.

Why You Need to Hear This

Walter isn’t just another success story. He’s put in 10,000+ hours mastering his writing and the platform, earning his place as one of Medium’s top voices. If you’ve ever wanted to rise above the noise, this is your chance to learn from someone who’s living proof that it’s possible.

On Thursday, January 9th (my mom’s birthday 🎉), at noon, Walter will walk us through what he’s seeing on Medium—the good, the bad, and the shocking—and why this shift could either make or break writers in 2025.

Here’s the thing: I love those juicy success stories—members earning $10, $100, $1,000, and even $10,000 from a single viral story. But I also want to learn the insider tips to get there faster.

As a part-time Medium writer myself (and a marketing manager), I know how valuable it is to hear directly from someone who’s living and breathing the platform every day.

This live masterclass is your opportunity to:

Learn how to navigate Medium’s Big Shift.
Find out why 2025 is the best time to start or level up your writing on Medium.
Discover actionable strategies to rise above the noise.

Plus, if you show up live, you’ll get an exclusive 25% discount code for our “Medium Kickstarter Bootcamp 2025” (in March 2025)!

If you’re a member, you can register here and add the event to your calendar:

I want to save my spot now!

If you're not a member yet, join the club to register:

I want to join the club & save my spot!

Hungry for More?

While you wait for the masterclass, dive into these…

🎙️ My podcast interview with Walter

… Walter’s message for you:

First of all, I'd like to answer a question from Kristina:

What would you tell people TODAY about Medium's Boost program?

This is an important question. I always feel the need to emphasize that the writing world changes quickly. Every time I write an article, it's with the best information available. However, what is true today might not remain true a month from now.

Boost has been in a constant state of evolution since the program was launched. Here's what you need to keep in mind:

You need to be in Medium's partner program
Boost allows your story to receive an earnings multiplier
Boost gets your story in front of a bigger audience
You can get paid well for a Boosted story even if you don't have a large following
Just because you're Boosted doesn't mean your story will succeed
It helps to write on topics where you have professional experience
It helps to support your claims with quality, academic sources

I can nominate your stories for a Boost, but I can't approve those nominations. I'm still getting a lot of stories through that I nominate, but fewer of my stories are getting Boosted. I feel that writing for the Boost is a good way to improve your skills as a writer. Even if you're not Boosted, it's a good objective that will help you create quality content that you can repurpose elsewhere.

Essentially, Boost is ideal for individuals who have important stories to tell, but who haven't yet developed a following. It allows you to get more visibility even if you're new to the scene. It's also good for individuals who already have a following as it can increase your earnings.

If you work with me on a story, please implement the changes I suggest. As a nominator, I have to maintain a certain acceptance percentage to stay in the program. It's becoming more challenging. So, if I suggest a bunch of changes and they aren't implemented, I won't nominate the story. This isn't out of malice, it's because I wish to fulfill the requirements of my obligation. However, if the story isn't Boosted, you can feel free to change it back to your preference after I've informed you.

Medium trends and predictions for 2025

One of the biggest changes that's dropped on Medium in the last few months is that publication editors are now able to designate stories as “features.” I've experimented with this a little bit, but I haven't done enough with the tool to form any strong impressions.

My initial takeaway is that this is an opportunity for editors to provide more attention for quality work. I feel as if this tool will be more effective when it's employed on large publications that have huge followings, but we'll see. To my knowledge, there's no indication for a writer that her/his story has been selected to be featured. But you should see an increase in views as a result.

It will be interesting to see how “features” develop and what effect that has on the Boost program.

Upcoming Q&A session

I'll be hosting a Q&A for subscribers on January, 9th at noon. Usually, I only do these for my paid subscribers, but this will be an opportunity for everyone.

Just drop your questions here in the comments, and I'll answer them in the order they are received. Same in the live session.

Kristina will share the Zoom link with her subscribers via Chat and inside the community, and I'll share the link to mine.

I look forward to talking with all of you! This will be a nice way to build community, create a plan of productive action, and generate some momentum that will help us get the most out of 2025!