Share your story, write your book with Susan Dean

Today's guest is a wealth of knowledge on all things publishing. Susan Dean is a qualified business and life coach who ventured into publishing after hearing and delivering heartfelt stories. 

Susan now helps other publish their stories and loves waking up in her purpose built publishing house. Inside this episode we discuss:

• What a book can do for your business
• Why it's essential to share a story to build a brand
• What holds people back from sharing their story
• What it's like working in a family business
• and many more golden tips about publishing your story

Tune in 🎧

Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!
Start for FREE

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Connect with me

Website: www.newschoolofmarketing.com
Facebook: @newschoolofmarketing
Facebook group: @newschoolofmarketing
Instagram: @bianca_mckenzie

Learn from me:

Meta Ads Success Bundle (Free)
Facebook Ads Prep School
Client Attraction Code

Love the New School of Marketing Podcast?

Let’s be honest and upfront, because you know that’s what I’m all about. Podcast reviews are super important to iTunes and the more reviews we receive the more likely iTunes will reward us with better reach. I want to reach more course creators and awesome business builders. I already love that you’re here and ready to rock your business, but I’d be extremely grateful if you would review me on iTunes and SUBSCRIBE!

Can’t wait to teach you everything I know about online mark...

Transcript

Bianca: Welcome to the New School of Marketing podcast, the place for smart, simple strategies that will amplify your business results, sharing practical tips, insider knowledge and actionable advice. Because marketing is something that every business owner can do. Now let's get started. Introducing your host, Bianca Mackenzie. Mum lover of snow, sports, camping, horse riding, and in demand launch strategist at Facebook Advertising Knowledge Bank.

Bianca: Welcome to the New School of Marketing podcast. I'm Bianca Mackenzie, and today I'm talking about writing your book and sharing your story with Susan Dean. Susan Dean was always destined to help others flourish. Beginning her career as a youth officer, susan then moved on to become a qualified business and life coach in 2003. An early adopter of the industry, making a difference has always been her passion, and Susan has always listened to people's stories, using her tremendous empathy to empower others towards success. This has become her signature trait. In 2014, Susan's expertise in hearing and delivering heartfelt stories extended to publishing. And since then, Susan has produced and published hundreds of stories of inspiration, ranging from business success to personal triumph and charity development. Susan loves to wake up every morning and work in a purpose built publishing house, bringing stories to life alongside her two adult daughters who form an integral part of her business. A dedicated Australian publisher, susan lives her dream every day and now teaches others how they can do the same. Welcome to the podcast, Susan. That was quite a long story and very exciting. I'm so excited to have you here.

Susan: Thanks so much for having me, Bianca.

Bianca: All right, well, publishing, I really want to dive into that, but I want to hear a bit about how you actually got started in publishing, because I just read about there's quite a few things that you've done in your life. How did you actually get started in publishing?

Susan: Well, I think it was because, as I mentioned, I was a youth worker and I worked with a lot of adolescents. And at that time it was called Wards of the State, and I worked in a really high risk unit, and it was a lot of stand up night shift. And I just felt that connecting with the young adolescents lended really well to telling them stories, stories of others. My friend John's stories. I had a young girl that did this or did that, and then they would sort of say, well, do you think I could do that too? Because like anyone, I think even teenagers or adults, we don't kind of like to be told what to do. We like to kind of explore it a little bit ourselves or be educated by others to then make that choice or commitment to what it is that we're doing. And so I've always found that the power of story helped transform people's lives. These young adults, these young kids were like I was getting them back into school and sports and different things that they chose, they owned it because of a story that I might have told. And so from there, I transitioned into going out on my own in an early adapter in the coaching business. There's a lot of coaches out there now. That's a good thing. When I started, I had to educate them on coaching and then get them to hire me as a coach. And essentially I worked with Dr. John Gray, which a lot of people may know. The author of the book men Are From Mars, women Are From Venus. And he, of course, wrote a book and was more well known for his book. And it just sort of progressed. I love story. I got back to my creative, which was when I was a young adolescent myself. I would write poetry, I would write story, but story with meaning, story with a metaphor to educate others. And then, long story short, went into lots of sort of little side hustle businesses to bring me back to my core of the power of Story, the power of a book to educate others. And when I wrote was actually in a compilation book and I'd written other things, like in magazines and different ways to market yourself was always through story. And then when I wrote my own book, it was a way for people to get to know, like and trust me through my story, and also through advising them about what my thoughts were, what my beliefs were, what I believed I could do with my knowledge to help them. That allowed them to, like I said, get to know luck and trust me, get to see if I aligned with them. Because the great thing is, sometimes if people aren't aligned with you, they can leave you be and go about and find someone else. But usually you will attract someone that aligns with you. So then you've got the ideal target market coming to you because they know, like and trust you, but they like what you're saying and they want to know more. So that's where The Power of Book came in and the publishing journey began.

Bianca: That's really exciting. It's so nice when you like it's almost like you're following the breadcrumbs and of course, your passion. You mentioned compilation book and I've seen quite a few of those lately. Maybe it's just because it's like in front of me at the moment. But what did being in a compilation book do for your business? And maybe you want to explain a little bit what a compilation book is first.

Susan: Yeah, we've done many compilation books. A compilation book is a compilation of many stories that have an overarching message. So everyone might have their individual story, but it might be an overarching message around health or wealth or spirituality or mindset and so forth. So when we did a book called Legacy, which was all about the UN global goals and everyone had their story about how they and their business were impacting or encompassing some part of the UN global goals. So that was the overarching message of legacy. And we've done many compilation books from mindset and health and wealth and different things, but everyone might have a different story or a business or a way to help someone in that health industry. So I think the benefits of being in a compilation book, if the compilation book has done well, that it's other people that are marketing you inside of the book. So you might be for example, you might have a product that helps people understand their beauty within and builds their confidence. So that could be a service or a coaching business that helps them around that. But then somebody else might in the beauty, talk about the outer beauty, as in they've got a makeup or a skincare. You know, Priscilla from Bang Body that has the beautiful cream that helped with her story around. So I think that what happens is it lends to an overarching message where the client or the reader as such is appealed to that particular topic and then they get lots of different stories. So for example, they might be reading a particular know because they've liked the product's Bang and Body and they might read it because they want to know Priscilla's story, for example. But now they're exposed to somebody else that might be a little bit more of a startup company or they're a company that hasn't got as much exposure. So I think a compilation book is amazing in the sense that there's other people marketing you inside of the book. As long as the book has done well and it's a professional book that is going to lift your profile, then that's it. I did John Gray's book, Love and Coaching and we had all the different Mars Venus coaches there. So John Gray lifted the profile of everybody else in that book. So I think it's important to look at who's the people that are in know. Obviously it should know done well and there should be somebody that knows how to make the story flow. So the reader is not chunking from bit to bit. They themselves feel the journey of being able to see that overarching message throughout.

Bianca: I love that. Was that the first book that you were in when you were in a compilation book?

Susan: Yes, I ended up really more going into this compilation book with the fact that I partnered with the person because we were more connected and we knew a lot of people and we were going to basically we turned the compilation book into a lot of books. So we had millionaire mindset, millionaire Motivators, real estate, all different areas. So the first book I was in was Miss Millionaire and it talked about all the different aspects of building wealth in your business and being a female. And then we went into all the different series around that and yes, I was in it, but I also then owned the company. So I ended up building out the series because I owned it in partnership and then eventually went out on my own. And that's when I created Dean Publishing and went into more individual books, not just compilation. Even though we've got a few compilation in the Y Shift series. We then expanded into people's own story because some people in the compilation book said well, I want my own book. And so then we branched out and started to write people's full book where they could put more in there than just their story. In a little snippet they could then expand. But a compilation book is a great way to start if you are wanting to leverage off everybody else in the book, in the story and then move into your own book, maybe when you feel that you've got all that content that you need.

Bianca: Sounds really exciting. Yeah, it sounds like a really good way to start the journey of publishing. It sounds like a really great connection method as well. Let's talk a little bit more about books and people telling this story. Why do you see it as essential to share a person's story to build a brand?

Susan: I think what's really important in using your story to build your brand is that no one else has your story. It doesn't matter whether it's similar or have parts of it just like your thumbprint. Nobody has your unique story, your exact story. They can't. It's impossible. So I think what's important is that by sharing your story, it makes that uniqueness for starters and it also allows people to get to know, like and trust you because one being vulnerable and being open and sharing is one way to connect with people. By sharing what you know, allows you to communicate what it is that you know, your expertise and then ultimately convert them into going well, what's next, what else have they got? I connect with their story, I now know what they know and I want more. So now it then leads to conversion into maybe it might be an online course, a coaching program. What else it is that you've got? And I think that that's where people have got to understand that a book is powerful when done well, to then have do a lot of the sales and the marketing for you and allowing the right people to be coming to you. You're attracting the right people because you've given them pieces of you already, that they're already quite a warm lead, if not a hot lead by the time they come to you for whatever else it is that you offer.

Bianca: Yeah, I love it. It's a bit of authority building, I think. And I don't know, I have this perception of people that have a book just like know their stuff kind of thing 100%. Yeah, so it's pretty cool and it.

Susan: Builds the confidence for the author as well. I think everyone that we know that has written a book has said, my confidence level went through the roof. When I held that book in the hand, I felt I had something now that was tangible in a physical product, obviously digital as well, but a physical product to go, hey, here I am. I'm the expert and here's my information.

Bianca: Yeah, it's like a compilation of all your knowledge. And even though I think we sometimes dismiss some of that knowledge or think that everyone knows that, I love the piece of your authority, and I do love that people build their confidence as well. I'm just sitting here thinking, yeah, I can actually see that people would feel more confident. It's like now it's not just in your brain, it's like actually on paper. And it probably does feel more tangible and like, okay, well, I do know my stuff. And this is what happens when I listen back to my own podcast episodes. Sometimes I think I'm like, oh, yeah, I kind of do know what I'm talking about. This sounds really strange to admit on my own podcast, but it probably is a similar thing with books.

Susan: I think what's important is sorry, is that you only need to be a chapter ahead of someone else because we're always learning, we're always growing, we're always moving forward. But somebody may not know what you've learned over the years. So it's the people you're attracting that are coming forth, that are behind you, or that are wanting to learn what you've put your expertise into. They might be an expert in their field, but not in your field.

Bianca: Yeah, 100% also going on from that as well. What do you think, though, that what is the thing that holds people back from sharing their story or writing a book? I know what's holding me back from writing a book, but yeah, what do you think holds people back from sharing their story and writing their books?

Susan: I'm sure that one of these might come in. If not, you can highlight with another. But a lot of it is, I don't know enough yet. I'm still doing this course, or I'm still doing that and things are changing, and by the time I do the book, it might be out of date. And I'm always learning or not me, yet I don't know enough. There's other people that know more than me out there, or just the fear of putting something out there and it not being good enough. Or where do I start? Where do I get all this knowledge? What do I put in? What do I leave out? Is anyone going to read my book? There's just so many voices that stop people from moving forward. That breaks my heart because they're just things that are limiting beliefs or they're just things that are not necessarily valid because we're always going to be learning more. And I think that everybody has a story to tell and everyone has knowledge to share and everyone will want to know that, or your particular target market are looking for somebody to share their expertise. So I think a lot of it is, oh, I don't have the time, or I don't have the knowledge, or I'm fearful of it not knowing enough yet, and things like that. Yeah, touch on any of your fears or have you got one to add?

Bianca: Oh, I have one to add, but you definitely did touch on some of it. Part of it is, well, the space that I'm in Facebook advertising changes all the time, but I keep saying that the foundations, you know, shooting myself and.

Susan: Let me lend to that. You're spot on and I always like to let people know about that, is that it's about smartly doing it. So the foundations are there and the foundations of marketing are there. And so you could show your expertise in understanding the core root of what the marketing is about and therefore send them through to a landing page or send them through to your podcast, send them through to areas where they can go, here's the latest. Or you do literally a video that has the latest updates and things like that. Even some of our books have lended to go into, like I said, QR codes that will send them through to a page that you just update with a video on what the latest is. And it's just a loom video, so your book stays current consistently and you can talk about that. I keep up with the market trends and to enable me to do that, here's a QR code and a link to take you through to my website where I give you the latest and greatest tips on this. And then, of course, they've got to put their name and email in to get these latest and greatest to be then sent through to another page that then helps you grow your database and.

Bianca: Remarket to them, yeah, I love it. I love how, in a way, the old schoolness of books like printed books and digital technology, there's a whole different world. But yes, that's one of them that you touched on, the other one's always I always keep thinking, oh, my story is not interesting enough.

Susan: And everyone thinks of that. But the story doesn't have to be the hero's journey, it can simply be sometimes, and this is a myth that I think is really important for people to know. There's a reason that you got into what you do inside of the marketing and so forth. There's a passion that led you there, so it's still you have a story that brings you to do what you do. So it doesn't have to be, I lost all my money and I overcome this and I did this. It can simply be, I have always been a creative, and I love the power of story or what that might be. Or I got into this passion because I realized that businesses weren't succeeding. And I knew that if they just had these foundational tools on marketing, that they could keep their business alive, which allowed them to create the life that they wanted. Blah, blah, blah. So it doesn't need to be always that story. It's just, well, why are you doing what you're doing? I want to know why is it overcoming an adversity and you now want to help others? Or is it simply because it was something that you knew would help others? By helping them get their marketing right, they can then create the life that they love. And you love watching them do this, whatever that story be. So everyone has a story. It's just about allowing the reader to go, well, why did they do it? For the money? And I know most people don't necessarily, especially more females. They're more connected to other ways. The money is something we need to create. But there's usually an underlining story of why we do what we do, and that's what we want to know nowadays with anybody. Why are you doing what you're doing?

Bianca: Yeah, I love that. And while I'm sitting here, I'm sitting here nodding my head. Definitely, it's more from a passion. But I love that you said that there doesn't need to be a hero story because yeah, I don't have a hero story. I literally just have a passion. I have a passion for seeing others shine and succeed. Yeah. So pretty cool. And I love that you just mentioned that. So my head's, cogs in my head are going, okay, well, maybe I should write my book.

Susan: You should, but it's a showcase of what you know. And the great thing is, what I love also about a book is that people can get it for literally $30 or whatever price of a physical book or an ebook for 999 half the time. So they get to risk minimal to find out more about what you know, to then take that next plunge, and they'll spend $30, and then $300, then $3,000, then so forth. And so I think that it's the stepping stone for people to start building on. We don't just throw 30 grand at something. We kind of want to get to know and build up that trust to read, then invest more and more.

Bianca: Yeah. And it is really nice to be able to help people at kind of any stage. There'll be, like, a solution for someone who has only the $30 budget and someone who has the $30,000 budget, which I think is amazing as well. Yeah, okay.

Susan: It's like, usually but you're spot on. We had a particular specialist that says, I can't take any more clients. I physically can't take any more clients. On is another thing where they go, but I want to give back and put all my knowledge in a book. There's other people that say, I want them to have the basic knowledge, and this is something really good for you too. I want them to have the basic knowledge for the people that are just at that level, but then for the people that want to move to that next level with me, I want them to have the basics done before they work with me, because that then allows them again, another thing. So we got to think of a book as it's multifaceted when we look at it from all angles of business as well.

Bianca: Yeah, I love that. And I also love that it will be around when we are not around anymore. Part of that is a little bit creepy, but that is also amazing. Yeah, I have books in my bookcase of authors that have long gone. But it's like part of a legacy, isn't it?

Susan: Like sharing 100%.

Bianca: Yeah.

Susan: And I think there's nothing sadder than living your knowledge in you when you pass to that next life or wherever that might be for people's beliefs. The point is, our knowledge should be shared. It should be shared forward our stories. That's how we grow. That's how we've always had story from the beginning of time. It's stories, it's learning, it's educating people. And we've taken all this time to learn what we need to learn. Let's help others that are before us learn it quicker.

Bianca: I 100% agree, and I do agree with the whole storytelling. I am just thinking about my dear beloved OPA, who my grandfather, who passed away a few years ago. And I do remember asking him as he was older, because he was part of the war, I'm from Europe, so I always asked him. He was a twelve year old in the war. I'm like, what happened then? And what happened then? And what did you do? And kind of sad that none of that is in a book, that those stories are going to be forgotten. Same with simple things. Recipes. I keep asking my grandmother, can you please write it down? She's like, I don't know, I just put some things together. But yeah, recipes especially because from another country, it's not written down. There's like so many things. It's all about sharing our knowledge and sharing our stories. So many things to explore and think about. Okay, let's move on. Because I also find it really interesting and fascinating. I have little children, but you have adult children and so you have a family business. Can you tell me a little bit about what it's like working with your children?

Susan: Yeah, well, my girls grew up, did uni, moved out, traveled the world, did all of those things, worked for other companies. And it was one particular day that my youngest daughter, I think she was, oh gosh, she would have been 25 or so at the time, and she basically said, what are you doing today? And she wasn't happy where she was and I said, I'm interviewing someone to be my personal assistant. She said no. I want the job. And I went, oh, okay, well, you're going to be able to listen to Mum. And we had a joke and we went for an interview and I said, you got to go through the interview like everyone else. It was the best decision because she knows me, she knows me more than anyone and we're a very close knit family, we always were. So to me, open communication was always really important. And we always set some rules. And we said, look, well, when we're in the car and we're not at work, we don't talk work. We talk mum and dad, mum and dad or mum and daughter and whatnot as a family, because my husband's sort of also here. So we've got this big, beautiful publishing house. But then my other daughter said, well, you are having way too much fun, I want to work for the company. And she was in events and hospitality, she was in that area and worked every weekend and she used to help me with the retreats, but then we'd go back to her work and so I said, well, you're going to have to create a role for yourself because we don't have events every week. So she then got into social media and TikToks and Instagram and all these things that for me, my generation was like, god, I started in coaching with a phone with a cord on the end of it without not even caller ID. So for me it was great having that younger. So I think what's really important, open communication. We get off things very quickly and we know each other so well that they just get me doing stupid things on socials and say, Mum, they bring out the best of my personality. Mum will get lots of likes as I push you into the lake. No, but they know me well, I know them well. If you can't trust your own, it's like I know that they're my legacy, they're the ones that are going to keep this company alive well after I'm gone. They're passionate about it as I am and I love that. And I didn't ask them to, they wanted to, which is even more special. So we get to hang out, we get to do so many things together and, hey, I can go on work trips and holidays where we're brainstorming and claim it on the business, the tax man. No, but seriously, we can do a lot within the company for each other and the more that it grows, the more that I get to help others, but I get to help my kids as well, which is just more than I could have ever asked for.

Bianca: I love that, I really love that. Like I said, I have little ones, a five year old and a one year old, so we're no in.

Susan: Well, I have the grandchildren now. So I have a little grandson that is nearly six months old and a granddaughter who's two. And they come in here like she does, comes in like she owns the place. We have a cot in one of the rooms. We've got change tables in one of the bathrooms. We're lucky enough to have I think there's about five bathrooms here at the publishing house. And so we've got one set up with change tables, another one with a cot. So we just hang out. She goes to daycare two days a.

Bianca: Week, and there are other days she's.

Susan: Running up the hallway, running into the graphics, running into the editing. No one gets work when she's work done when she's here, but I now get to hang with my grandkids. Like, this is just the ultimate life that I've built. And if I can give anyone any advice, it's just be the best that you can be, because they're watching you. They're not always listening to you, as in when you're telling them what to do, but they're watching you. And they were enrolled, and my grandchildren get but if they ever wanted to go and do anything, I would just open that for them. But they love being here and they just find their space within the company. But, yeah, I get my grandkids running up and down this hallway and they just love it.

Bianca: It's amazing, isn't it? It really is. That flexibility and having that life, creating that life for yourself, which it's almost like I can trace it back to every single thing you've done throughout your life. Passionately building that life. And I love hearing that you're so passionate about helping others build that as well. So back to publishing. Do you have any parting wisdom for my listeners in terms of publishing their books, getting started? Because that's another thing that I guess that you mentioned. It's a big thing that people need to overcome. I think about writing a book sometimes, but yeah, I don't even know where to get started.

Susan: Yeah, I think what's really important is knowing who your target market is and then just starting with a list of what do they need to know, what else do they need to know? What else? What else? What else do they need to know? What else? What else? And just keep writing this list. And you can even do it on, like, postit notes and just keep writing a topic. What else do they need to know? Until you just absolutely run out of it. And then group them together and kind of go, well, that goes with that, and that goes with that, and they can start forming a little bit of a structure where you go, well, that could go before that. I mean, there's multiple different ways to structure a book, but that's just a real simple way of you at least getting out. What do they need to know? Once you've dumped that. All down. It really is important to get a solid structure. A solid structure really lends to where you write what and how do you not repeat yourself. And I think our other thing to know is that your first draft is going to be **** and get over it because the fact is that you've just got to get something down and started and there's time for critiquing. Don't become a perfectionist because it's better to progress than perfect because there will be time for a little bit more perfection and grammar and spelling and editing later on. The main thing is just to get it all out and then bring the book to life in its formatting. That's where it all comes to life, the way that you format it, the way that you give space for the reader to take on your knowledge and have some breaths along the way that's done in the formatting till you bring that beautiful book to life. So there's many ways to do that, but really it's just about getting something down. Get started and start writing a list of what they need to know. What do they need to know?

Bianca: Thank you. I'm staring at my posted notes right in front of me going, oh, that's a really good point. I can just start like that. I love that because I'm always overcomplicating things, making it difficult. And I also do want to because I've been browsing on your website and things like that. I do want people to know that you're not alone as like once you have your thoughts down, there are people like Susan who can actually help you make something beautiful out. Know the brain dump. Which is really good because yeah, that'll be me. I'll be like repeating myself. That's what I do a lot.

Susan: Well, we're all experts in our own field and I think this is what we've got to understand is that you're the expert in your field. We're not going to know the knowledge that you have, but we've got the knowledge of how to bring it together beautifully so that it flows and so that it takes your best knowledge and makes it into a beautiful presented, but also easy digestible manuscript. That's where we're the expertise. But you're the expertise in your knowledge. You can't be an expert in everything. And so that's why I say to people, you're the expert, get your knowledge out and let us help you take ridic care of the rest that you can't do yourself.

Bianca: Yeah, I love that. Sometimes I feel like we're too stuck in our own heads and perfectionists, I think that's part of it as well because especially it's a book, like it's going to be around for a long time. I feel like it needs an imposter syndrome.

Susan: We always go through that. It's good enough. Is it going to be this? You just got to get out of your own way to focus on the person that you're going to help. I think that's what's really important. Don't make it about you. Make it about the people that are going to have their businesses transformed through reading your book. Have their lives transformed through reading your book. Whatever it is that you want to teach people and share with people, that's who you got to focus on and then you'll get out of your own way.

Bianca: I love that. I really do love that. And as I was listening to you, I was thinking, you know what if I were writing my book now? And I have been thinking about it, and I've been thinking it needs to be perfect because it's going to be around for so long. And then I thought, no, you know what? People go through stages. People I can write another book in ten years and I have more knowledge and different kind of knowledge, but it.

Susan: Doesn'T 100% you can even edit the one that you've done and do a version too.

Bianca: Yeah, and it doesn't make the first one obsolete. Just add on. Anyway, see, this is how I get my own way, and I'm sure that other people do as well. So I'm super glad that I have spoken to you about this and that we've kind of, like, tackled these topics. Start with postit notes. I love that. I'm definitely going to take that on board, make a whole list. What do they need to know? What's the next thing they need to know? I am really loving this conversation. You've given me so much food for thought, and I'm sure that you've given my listeners a lot as well. Okay, two more questions and this is what I ask everyone. What are you curious about right now?

Susan: I think I'm curious about where the world's going to go with this AI. Are we still able to speak to human beings? Yeah.

Bianca: I can imagine it would have turned the publishing world upside down a little bit, hasn't it? I don't know.

Susan: Yes and no. I think what we have done in this new course that we're created for people to sort of get in and learn and get all the knowledge is that I've introduced it on where it can support people. I don't think it would ever take over in any industry. It's not going to take over human beings. I think that we still need that human element. And it doesn't matter whether they can help support you by saying, hey, is there anything else that people might need to know inside of publishing a book or inside of marketing through Facebook or whatever that might know? It's also having that knowledge that sometimes Google's more accurate than AI. It's behind a little bit. And also that knowledge is power. Knowing about it, knowing about where we can use it, but knowing when it's time to let it be and put our own humanness in it so that we have that uniqueness that AI can't bring in. It can't bring in that emotion. That we can do. And it can try, but we may use it. But we need to put our human element on top of that. So I say we can use it in conjunction with human beings. It can support you in your writing, but it will never take over that writing.

Bianca: Yeah, I 100% agree. I often ask it questions and then it gives me an answer I'm like, you know, I don't like that, but thanks for it because now I've got an idea of what I do want to say exactly. It's kind of like almost like someone who's just prompting me.

Susan: Brainstorm with them about what you want and maybe you asked them ten things and you didn't think of the 10th thing but you've written about the nine. But yeah, definitely wouldn't replace it completely because one, it's not completely accurate and two, it's not going to have your humanness in it.

Bianca: True. I love it. It's good to be curious about these things but yeah, I totally agree with don't rely on it 100% and do your fact checks.

Susan: Yeah, exactly.

Bianca: If you had an extra $5,000 in your marketing budget, what would you spend it on?

Susan: I think definitely I would be spending it back into social media marketing your marketing through all your different online platforms. But potentially the marketing would be in getting the book out into as many hands as possible. So it would be marketing to say, hey, get my book for free, just pay for post it in handling and if you do that with a little bit of a bump, it can actually generate you unending marketing dollars. So that's where you can just spend as much as you want. So to me it would be obviously getting a book rather than a cheap download PDF, getting a real book done. Obviously I'm going to save books, that's why I'm in what I am. But then using more the book to generate you unending marketing dollars to then put back into social media marketing and so forth. Digital marketing.

Bianca: I really love it. Awesome. Well, that is the end of this week's show. If you have questions about sharing a story and particularly about writing it in a book, head to Deanpublishing.com. I will put all of that in the show notes. A really big thanks to you Susan. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and coming on the podcast.

Susan: Thanks so much for having me and.

Bianca: Thanks to you for listening. If you like the show, don't forget to subscribe and leave a five star rating and review on itunes, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you heard the podcast. Your review will help others find a show and learn more about the amazing world of online marketing. Oh, and don't forget to check out the show notes for this episode@newschoolofmarketing.com where you can learn more about Susan, check out Useful Links, download free resources and leave a comment about the show, Sam.