Interview With Author Michelle Buck
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am the business owner of tellthetrees.com, a website dedicated to helping self-published authors learn how to use marketing to promote their non-fiction books. I have worked in the digital marketing space since the early 2000’s when I started using Blogger, then WordPress, and then pursued it as a career in a variety of fields. I’ve always been passionate about tech and the online world. I have three books: The 7 Day Pinterest Plan, Content Marketing: The 7 Day Pinterest Plan (2024), and Authentic: Stand Out Without Selling Out (2025).
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I started writing my current book, Authentic: Stand Out Without Selling Out in 2022. I started writing the book because I was interested in the topic after hearing about using personal branding on LinkedIn. At the time, I was working for a company and wanting to understand how personal branding could be used to help the company. But I set the book aside after some life challenges and picked it back up again in 2024, realizing I wanted to focus more on the entrepreneur journey instead of personal branding for a company.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to listen to modern instrumental music while I’m writing because it has no words. If I listen to a song with words, it throws off my concentration. I tend to procrastinate and get overwhelmed with starting, but once I get into the flow, I’m fine. There’s just that initial sense of dread. I think because I get overwhelmed with how much is left to do. I have to keep my focus on one to two tasks or I end up getting too overwhelmed and won’t even start.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I absolutely love The Late Homecomer by Kao Kalia Yang. It is a memoir about growing up in America after losing her country. She lived several blocks away from me so many of the references resonated with me in the book. The way she writes just hits your heart. But I also enjoy non-fiction authors such as Meera Kothand, Natalie Goldberg, and Joanna Penn who all have helped me become a better writer and focus on the essentials. Another book I like is called The Scribe Method by Tucker Max. The book helped me stay organized with outlines and thinking through how to structure my book.
What are you working on now?
I started writing a children’s book which was actually adapted from a book my brother wrote in high school. I lost his book and after he died, I wanted to rewrite it. Unfortunately, I don’t have the book, just some of the ideas from his book, so I decided to write it in my own style while keeping the main story the same. It’s a book about a dog that runs off with the Christmas Ham and get into trouble. I wanted to honor my brother and hope to release it sometime in the fall of 2025.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Substack is probably the best way I promote my books, but it isn’t something I do after I write. I’m including my audience in the entire process. I show off the stages of my writing, promoting, and so forth and then ask for readers. I also use Story origin to keep track of ARCs. I think promotion isn’t a one-website or tool strategy, but something you start even before you write your book. The cover, the copy, and all the little breadcrumbs leading up to the launch are so important.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t neglect creating an author platform and building an email list. Your list will be a great tool with each and every book you write.
Don’t expect to get rich on one book. It really is a journey and if you can keep that in mind, then writing books will open doors for opportunities and connections that will lead you into other things besides just monetary gain.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In general? Brush your teeth.
About writing? Create a writing practice even if you never publish it or allow anyone else to read it. The practice of writing daily is a way towards sanity. Not only does it help you build a good habit, but it allows you to make sense of your world and everything in it.
What are you reading now?
I like to juggle books so I’m reading a helpful book called “Small Business Tax Savings Handbook” by Mike Zesowshek and Wide Publishing for Authors by Dale L. Roberts. I would like to incorporate some more fiction this year, but I’m a researcher, so I end up reading a lot of how-to books.
What’s next for you as a writer?
As I mentioned, I’m planning on publishing my children’s book. But this next quarter, I’m thinking about writing about how to use what is called “Slow Marketing”. I haven’t fine-tuned it yet, but the idea is to use social media less and focus on intentions rather than hustle. Most of us are pretty tired of the social media hustle culture. And introverts like me prefer something more strategic. So I’m thinking I’d like to write about that as well as promoting a planner that I created. I love graphic design as well as writing, so I try to balance my love of both in my business.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
SAS Survival Guide by John Wiseman – because you need to survive!
The Forager’s Harvest Guide by Gary Binder – because I might need to eat some and don’t want to poison myself.
Strategic Problem Solving by Mark Hartley – because I have a big problem.
Author Websites and Profiles
Michelle Buck’s Social Media Links
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