Part of the YourBrand Network
PublishYourBrand · Part of the YourBrand Network
Your story is a book. One post at a time.
You don't have a writing problem. You have a clarity problem. Whether it's a blog, an article, or a book that builds your authority, you need the one move that helps this week.
Find my publishing nextstep →Two minutes. Six questions. You see your result before I ask for anything.
Free · 2 minutes
What's your Publishing Clarity Score?
I'm Russ. Publishing is how your ideas keep working while you sleep, in a post, an article, or a book. Most writers don't stall for lack of talent. They stall because nobody said what to fix first.
Six questions. Two minutes. One nextstep. No email needed to see it.
Kindness is cool, smiles are free.
How it works
No program. No 40 tabs. One move at a time.
Take the score
Six quick questions about where your writing is today. First post or fifth book, it works.
See your one gap
Not ten things. The one that matters most right now, plus three moves for it.
Do one move a week
Nextstep Notes lands every Thursday with one trend and one 15 minute move. Do it, then do the next.
Try this today. 15 minutes.
Write your reader in one sentence.
Finish this line: I write for [one person] who wants [one thing]. Keep it under 20 words. Put it at the top of your next draft and read it before you write a word.
Done looks like one sentence, at the top of your next draft.
That's what a nextstep feels like. The quiz finds yours.
The worked example
The Book of Life From letters to chapters
The Book of Life is my own book project, and it's still in progress. Every chapter starts as a Nextstep Notes post about my life and the things I've learned the hard way. No publish date yet, and no promises about sales. Just the real process, out in the open.
Chapters taking shape
Each one began as a post you can read today.
- Sometimes losing everything is the rescue (opens in a new tab)
- The Day I Learned About Gravity (opens in a new tab)
- I'm Back (and here's what happened) (opens in a new tab)
- "We need to work it out" (opens in a new tab)
- Why I say "kindness is cool" (opens in a new tab)
Free chapter: Mother Was My Cheerleader "She looked at her eleven-year-old son and she saw a drummer." Get it free by email ↓
How I'm doing it
Posts, then themes, then chapters, then editing, then the book. Same steps work for a blog series.
Posts
Write for one reader. Every Nextstep Notes post is a letter to one person, with one story and one point. A steady weekly cadence beats a pile of drafts.
Themes
Sort the posts into a few big themes. Outline before you draft: each theme gets a one line promise and a short list of the posts that keep it.
Chapters
Turn each strong post into a chapter. Keep the voice, add the part the post had no room for, and end every chapter with one clear nextstep for the reader.
Editing
Honest editing, then proofreading as a separate pass. Read it out loud, cut what doesn't serve the one reader, and get a second set of eyes before anything ships.
The book
Learn the basics before you publish: your own ISBN if you want to be the publisher of record, plus a clear title, subtitle, description, and categories (your metadata). Then repurpose each chapter back into posts and emails.
Publishing best practices that work
- Write for one reader. Picture one person and write to them. Clear beats clever.
- Outline before the draft. A one page outline saves weeks of rewriting.
- Steady cadence over volume. One good piece a week, every week, builds more trust than a burst.
- Repurpose the long piece. One chapter or article becomes three posts and one email.
- Own your platform. Your site plus your newsletter. Social sites rent you an audience. Your list stays yours.
- Honest editing and proofreading. Two separate passes. Read it out loud. A second reader catches what you miss.
- ISBN and metadata basics. An ISBN identifies each format of a book. Title, description, and categories help the right readers find it.
- One clear call to action. End every piece with one thing to do next. Just one.
Russ Johns
Nextstepnext · YourBrand Network
Who's behind this
I'm Russ. I write Nextstep Notes every Thursday, and I read every reply.
30 years in corporations and 15 years as an entrepreneur and content creator.
A stroke took my voice for a while. Writing kept the help flowing. Now I'm turning those Nextstep Notes posts into a book, one chapter at a time.
This site is one small piece of a bigger mission: help more people help more people. One craft, one move at a time.
Read the whole story → (opens in a new tab)Free chapter
Start with a chapter.
Join and I'll email you 'Mother Was My Cheerleader', a free chapter from The Book of Life, my book in progress, right after you sign up. Then Nextstep Notes every Thursday: one trend and one 15 minute move. Free, short, and kind to your inbox. "She looked at her eleven-year-old son and she saw a drummer." From Mother Was My Cheerleader
No price. No upsell. Unsubscribe any time.
Fair questions
Is it free?
Yes. The quiz, your result, and Nextstep Notes are all free.
Do I have to give you my email to see my score?
No. Your result shows up on the page. Getting it in your inbox is your call.
I haven't written anything yet. Is this for me?
Especially for you. One clear reader and one outline before your first post means everything you write later has a home.
Will this make my book a bestseller?
I won't promise sales, rankings, or income. I'll help you see where your writing is and pick one useful move. What happens next is yours.
Trust
Playing it straight
Trust is earned one message at a time. Here's how we keep it, and how you can too.
Rules people follow
- Follow the terms of every place you publish, from your site to the book stores.
- Only message people who asked.
- An unsubscribe link in every email, honored right away.
- Honest claims and safe, clear links. No hidden redirects.
What we do
- Opt in only. No unsolicited emails, texts, or DMs.
- Every message says it's from Russ Johns and Nextstepnext, and leaving takes one click or one word.
- Real numbers only, like 600+ livestream interviews. No promised results.
- We never buy, sell, or share lists.
Publish the right way
- Honest claims. No income promises and no bestseller promises.
- Respect copyright. Quote briefly, credit the source, and get permission for images and long excerpts.
- Get a real yes before you name or tell someone else's story in print.
- Label sponsored posts and affiliate links where people can see them.
- Your newsletter list is yours to care for. We never sell it, and leaving takes one click.
This is general guidance, not legal advice.
Rather build alongside other writers? Join the Nextstep Crew, a free community for small wins and honest questions, and get Nextstep Notes every Thursday. Join the Nextstep Crew (opens in a new tab)