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Peppering in Stories can Save your Book from being Boring
I recently read a book that was completely cut-and-dry, to-the-point. Though I have a great appreciation for brevity, I also need something to keep my attention. The book was so straightforward, though, that it bordered on pedagogical and left me feeling like I was in one of my college chemistry classes . . . which is usually the opposite of the environment you want to curate with your book. So how do you get around
When are you ready for an editor?
Some people take years to write their books. How awful, right? Why is this happening? Some people claim it’s time, but for the most part, it’s either lack of clarity in their message or how to publish, or it’s a lack of belief that the book is ready (which is actually a lack of confidence in their own words). I had to go there. We blame a lot of things for our lack of reaching
Why Your Book isn’t Helping your Business
Every once in a while, I run into someone who scoffs when I talk about how books build businesses. Usually, it’s someone who published and hasn’t seen results themselves. And this can absolutely happen! So if this is a current problem for you, there are several questions you need to look at to shift that and get your business into high gear. Your book is a vehicle, after all, and you should be able to
3 Things to Remember when Designing your Book Cover
Your book cover is the first chance for you to hook readers. It’s like when you walk in a room: you only get one shot at a first impression. So how do you know what to do? There are a few key rules to look at when working with a designer (or doing it yourself, if you have the skill). It has to match your genre. Do your research before you get super excited about
The Top 3 Reasons to Write a Book for your Business
We’ve all heard people refer to books as the new business card, but I believe that they are so much more than that. First of all, if you hand someone a book, they aren’t going to add you on LinkedIn and then toss it in the trash. A tangible item is way more likely to either lay on their desk (reminding them of you every day), be given to a friend who may need it
Key Visibility Components BEFORE you Launch your Book
I had a major epiphany earlier this year. I was at a networking event, and I introduced myself and what I do during the 30-second commercial period. It was pretty standard. I mentioned who I helped and what that’s so important. Dropped the info about being an author of 8 books and the executive editor of Inspiring Lives Magazine. Easy peasy. Later, a woman came up to me and said, “I didn’t realize you had
3 Reasons a Book is a Must for Speakers
Do you ever wonder why all the speakers at every big event that you attend have at least one book in their arsenal? They are sitting at the back of the room with a line of people excited to meet with them and chat about their impactful talk, and many of them are walking away with the book in their hands, eagerly announcing that they can’t wait to read it. But that book is more
The Most Important Elements for Your Book Cover
Humans have been judging a book by its cover since the dawn of publishing. Books have always had a certain look that, of course, has changed over time. Things trend. Styles end. And if we want to be a part of this industry, we have to keep up. When you self-publish, there is a high chance that you will do some of the book yourself, not just the writing part. And if you’re in charge
Why Do I Need a Book for My Business?
Everybody’s got a book for their business. But why? Not only are they great for when you think your bag isn’t already heavy enough, or when you need to fill empty space on an event table. Not only are books great for stacking up to reach the cookie jar . . . Books are great for getting people acclimated to the program they just enrolled in, or are about to enroll in. They are great
Tips and Tricks for Titling Your Book
Are you one of those people who stares at a blank page forever because you can’t come up with the title? Let me start by telling you that this is no way to finish writing a book. The title is NOT the first thing you have to write. In fact, sometimes, it should be the last. When you want something to encompass the depth and significance of your entire work, you need to have at
How to Narrow the Focus When Planning Your Book
Business owners have tons of ideas swirling around in their heads most of the time. Snatching onto a few and putting them in your outline should be pretty simple right? The problem is usually that we pull a lot more than “a few” when we sit down to plan that outline. The nice thing is that you should have plenty of ideas to populate that outline. When you do your brain dump, you can get
What is a Book Editor?
For this post, I’m answering the second half of the question on the differences between a writing coach and a book editor. While they both have a similar goal, helping you get a book published, they handle different parts of the process. To read about what a writing coach does, see the previous post. For the editor portion, see below. When writers think of editors, they often picture someone wearing a black pointed hat, devil
What is a Writing Coach?
This month, I’m tackling a topic that I get asked about a lot: what is the difference between a writing coach and a book editor? Though it seems like they would be doing the same thing, the jobs are very different. For starters, the writing coach’s job is to help you get the book out of your head and on paper, while the editor’s job is to clean up the text and make it publishable.
Create without Judgement
Have you ever watched children playing? It’s carefree. It’s not full of concern or doubt or fear. My kids play dress up a lot with various pieces of clothing that they decided make up a character’s costume. Usually, it looks nothing like that character, but they tell me that’s who they are. They name their dolls, animals we see, and people they don’t know. My oldest is a little more grounded (most of the time),
How to Serve by Writing a Book
When you work one-on-one with your clients, you want to help them as much as possible. I know that so many coaches give more than they have to just to make sure that the lesson sticks, that the mind shifts, that the client is able to get over that hurdle and achieve what they’ve been looking for. But you’re only one person, right? You can only give so much. And when you have a lot
How Connection Through Your Book Leads to Healing
I was doing an exercise suggested by a creative thought-leader I’m friends with when I stumbled upon an idea that I didn’t realize was at the heart of what I do. For this exercise, we were asked to write “I believe” statements about our work. My work is coaching writers and editing their books so they can create the best version of the book and connect optimally with readers. I want the coaches, speakers, and business
How to Write About a Topic that Triggers You
Writing is a very personal thing to do. It involves a lot of emotion, both negative and positive. It bares the soul. It’s an act of cleansing. An act of rebirth. Writing can bring out our best. It can heal. There is a very good reason why everyone from teachers to therapists to business coaches encourages people to write. Getting the words out of our heads and on paper can give us a new perspective
How to Do a Call-to-Action at the End of Your Book
The End You’ve told your story. You’ve analyzed. You’ve provided the reader with a path to take, guidance, solutions, and the knowledge that you can help them through to the end of their journey. Now what? Before you send to printing, take another look at that book. It’s really a marketing piece, not a stand alone. What do YOU want to get out of that book? A client, of course. So you need to have
Mosaic Writing: Working Backwards from Writing to Planning and Beyond
You know the feeling you get when you open a box and the puzzle pieces are already assembled into the perfect final puzzle? You don’t? Me either. Part of the beauty and the challenge of creating a puzzle is to look at all the pieces and figure out which pieces go where. Which parts are the frame? What about the basket? The butterfly? The giant hulking monster with crazy eyes and pointy teeth? Maybe we
How to Inspire Others with Your Story
You’re finally ready. Something has pushed you to write a book about your experience, your methods, your way of thinking. But why does it actually matter? And why would someone want to read it? People are often inspired by others who have overcome challenges or developed a plan of attack to help them out. They want to read stories that will show them that they can get through what they are going through, someone has