From Blogging to Writing a Book: Shaunda Necole’s Path to Becoming an Author

Have you ever dreamed of writing a book? For many bloggers, the idea of becoming an author is a natural extension of their love for writing, but sometimes their dreams of getting published stay on a bucket list. Shaunda Necole, our guest on today’s episode of The Ultimate Blog Podcast, is here to share how she actually made it happen. Read on to learn Shaunda’s journey to becoming an author.

And if you haven’t checked out Episode 157, Passion to Profit: How Shaunda Necole Built Her Multi-Blog Business, be sure to listen to that!

Meet Shaunda Necole

Author, podcast host, and digital creator Shaunda Necole is Las Vegas’s newest spokesperson as the writer behind 100 Things to Do in Las Vegas Before You Die, the ultimate insider’s guide to the City of Lights. She’s the creator of the travel site Vegas Right Now, dedicated to exploring “The Real Las Vegas” from a local’s perspective on the scene, and host of the Vegas Right Now! podcast. For Shaunda, the lasting beauty of Las Vegas lies in its balance between novelty and flash, soulfulness and wholesomeness, which all make up the exciting city she calls home!

From Blog to Book: Shaunda’s Journey to Becoming an Author

Shaunda recently published 100 Things to Do in Las Vegas Before You Die, a curated guide to the best experiences in her hometown. Her goal was to showcase the hidden gems of Las Vegas that tourists often miss. She describes the book as a “love letter” to the city, packed with must-visit attractions beyond the usual casinos and nightlife.

Surprisingly, writing a book wasn’t initially on Shaunda’s radar. She started her blog, VegasRightNow.com, as a way to document and share the latest happenings in Las Vegas. Over time, her expertise and passion for the city caught the attention of a publisher, who saw the potential for her content to become something bigger.

The Unexpected Path to Publishing

Unlike many aspiring authors who actively pitch their book ideas, Shaunda’s journey was more organic. A friend in the blogging community mentioned working with a publisher and suggested that Shaunda consider it too. This planted the seed, leading her to reach out to the publisher herself.

The publisher reviewed her blog, appreciated her writing style, and recognized her deep knowledge of Las Vegas. From there, the process unfolded naturally – she filled out forms, shared her bio, and demonstrated how she could market the book to her existing audience. As a blogger, she already had a built-in readership and content that aligned perfectly with the book’s concept.

Blogging as a Stepping Stone to Authorship

Shaunda’s blog not only gave her credibility but also served as a resource for shaping the book’s content. By analyzing her most popular blog posts and social media interactions, she could determine what readers were most interested in – which directly influenced what made it into the book.

Shaunda also highlighted how having an established blog made the publishing process smoother. Since she already had a media kit, a professional bio, and experience creating engaging content, she was able to easily adapt these materials for the book proposal.

The Writing and Submission Process

When writing the book, Shaunda found it helpful to cover various topics each day. One of the early pieces of advice she got was to submit a few sample chapters to her editor before completing the full manuscript. This allowed her to get feedback on her writing style and structure before investing too much time in sections that might need major revisions.

To streamline the writing process, Shaunda used Scrivener, a writing tool designed specifically for authors. She found it useful for organizing chapters, sections, and notes, making it easy to keep track of her progress. When the manuscript was complete, she was able to seamlessly export it into a Word document for submission to her publisher.

Challenges of Post-Writing Edits

Many first-time authors assume that once the manuscript is submitted, the hard work is over – but as Shaunda discovered, the editing and revision process can be just as demanding. After turning in her manuscript, she found herself frequently receiving requests for edits, clarifications, and adjustments. These requests weren’t scheduled in advance, so she had to be ready to review and revise sections on short notice.

One of the most time-consuming edits were of her index. Shaunda spent over 24 hours meticulously reviewing the manuscript to list every important name, place, and concept in alphabetical order.

Post-Submission Work

Even after finalizing the manuscript and going through rounds of proofreading and edits, Shaunda realized that the work wasn’t over. There was updating the index, formatting, and other details. Unlike blogging, where edits can be made at any time, a book is permanent once it goes to print – so there’s pressure to get everything right on a short timeline.

How You Can Support Shaunda

If you’re a blogger interested in becoming an author, we hope Shaunda’s experience has been helpful and inspiring for you!

Want to support Shaunda? The best way to do so is by ordering a copy on Amazon. Once you’ve placed your order, head to her website and enter your order number to receive your author-signed bookplate, speakeasy map, and first look inside the book!

In this episode, we covered:

How Shaunda decided what content to put into her first book
How Shaunda got the idea to write a book
How Shaunda reached out to a publisher, and how her blog helped her get published
What tips and tools Shaunda used to write her book in the early stages
What the editing process was like
How you can support Shaunda

Links and resources mentioned in this episode:

We hope you loved this episode with Shaunda on becoming an author! Please leave us a comment and let us know your biggest takeaway from this episode!