By the way: here's a big tip. Realize that marketing your book is always up to you. Publishers do not market for you. While they may pay for author tours for prospective bestsellers for which they've paid million dollar advances, 99 per cent of authors market their books themselves. Before a publisher gives you a contract, your editor will want to see your marketing plan for your book.

Hence, if you've been marketing your book from the beginning, you're much more attractive to a publisher.

1. Publish your book on your blog while you're writing

I've written about blogging your book many times, so I won't go over the same ground again: it's essential. Moreover, your blog can earn income for you as you use it for promotion.

2. Publish magazine articles based on your book while you're writing

Another way to build buzz for your book is to write magazine articles based on it. All magazines give you a byline, and a mini bio, in which you can say something like: "Sara Jane Masterson-Edwards currently hard at work on a book tentatively titled ________. Read her blog at _________."

When you find checks from magazines in your mailbox every month or two, they help to defray your costs as you write, and of course they build buzz for your book, making you irresistible to publishers.

3. Publish ebooks based on your book while you're writing

Finally consider whether you can publish ebooks based on the topic of your book while you're writing it. Hint: fiction doesn't sell well, so rather than publishing a chapter of your mystery novel as an ebook, publish an ebook using the research for your novel, viz: "Ten Ways to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft". or "49 Clever Ways to Market Your Book."

Your ebook spin-offs may surprise you: you may make more money from your ebooks than you eventually do for your book.

OK -- there you have three great ways to make money while you're writing your book, and to generate buzz too.