Emily Grabatin's Blog

One common question I get as a book coach is:
“I wrote a book… now what?”

As a new author, you might know your manuscript needs editing, but you might see that as one general term, unaware of the phases or types of book editing included in the process.

Sometimes a client comes to me feeling totally lost in their manuscript weeds. They know it’s rough and need help seeing it clearly again. Other times, they hand over what they believe is a finished draft—passionate, heartfelt, even brilliant...

You know when you’re sitting across from a dear friend, two warm mugs in hand, the hum of life swirling gently around you—and suddenly, the talk turns to that big, daunting dream of writing a Christian book?

Maybe it’s a memoir of your experiences that you know can help people heal, spark a movement, or simply encourage others to live with more hope. Maybe it’s a devotional that helps create space for people to encounter Go...

You know that tug-of-war feeling between wanting to share your message and wanting to hide under a blanket until your book magically writes and launches itself? (If only!) It can feel nerve-wracking to be be visible as a first-time author.

I get it. Putting yourself (and your book baby) out here can feel vulnerable. But it’s also where the breakthrough happens—not just for you, but for the people waiting for your words.

That’s why ...

I landed my dream job at 23, but I didn’t fully understand then what it meant to “bloom where you are planted.”

Helping people at my church find hope and belonging while working behind the scenes with data and systems? It checked all my boxes—especially for this quiet, admin-loving, purpose-driven girl.

But even dream jobs come with hard days.
Days I wanted to quit.
Days I felt bored or stuck.
Days that turned into years of doing the same thing over and over. That’s when I started learning what it ...

When is the last time you had the creative courage to give your dream a chance—especially when you’ve got a message burning in your heart, but the path forward feels uncertain?

One snowy weekend, my encouragement came from my 3-year-old. 

We’d been waiting for the perfect kind of snowfall to use our igloo-building kit. With a fresh storm and school canceled, Friday was the day to give her dream a chance.

The snow was moist, dense, and just t...

So this was writer’s block. I stared at my screen, feeling heavy…paralyzed…frustrated. My eyes darting between the bits of documents scattered across folders and apps. Drafts, braindumps, and half-formed ideas were strewn like puzzle pieces dumped out of a box.

How do I make sense of all this?
What’s missing?
What stories do I actually need in my book?
Am I talking about myself too much?
Who am I to even be writing this?

The questions swirled in my mind, each one fogging up the big picture.

When you’re...

When I first sat down with my messy draft of Dare to Decide, I had the content, I had the heart—but I didn’t yet know how to structure a non-fiction book. As I explored the editing process, it became clear my manuscript was missing something essential that every successful non-fiction title needs: structure.

Sure, I could clean up grammar and typos, but what was the point of editing details if I might end up rewriting or removing entire paragraphs? Without understanding the right structure of a n...

“This might sound strange, but God is calling me to write this book,” a client wrote in my intake form.

I smiled. Not strange at all. I hear it pretty often from writers, non-writers, ministry leaders, therapists, and coaches.

You can’t shake it. The thought of writing a book keeps coming back, stirring something deep in you. Maybe it started as a whisper—an idea that won’t let go—or a growing conviction that your story or message needs to be shared. You may or may not be ready to say it aloud, b...

Before you can publish a book, you have to write your first draft.

To find the focused time to write, it’s helpful to actually to decide to write your book.

I was amazed at the energy that ramped up when I finally decided that was the year I was going to write the book I was going to publish. Envisioning it finished, anticipating its heaviness in my hands, quickened my pulse. Imagining someone being encouraged by it made me giddy and hopeful.

Suddenly, my priorities shifted. I wished I could bottl...

Before you can publish a book, you have to write your first draft.

To find the focused time to write, it’s helpful to actually to decide to write your book.

I was amazed at the energy that ramped up when I finally decided that was the year I was going to write the book I was going to publish. Envisioning it finished, anticipating its heaviness in my hands, quickened my pulse. Imagining someone being encouraged by it made me giddy and hopeful.

Suddenly, my priorities shifted. I wished I could bottl...