Lisa Tener
Book Writing Coach
I have exciting news: The Joy of Writing Journal: Spark Your Creativity in 8 Minutes a Day won the Silver Nautilus Book Award! Since the Nautilus is an award I often recommend my clients apply for–whether their books are traditionally published or self-published–(and we’ve had several winners over the years!), I always check the list…
Last week, I got an email from Susan, a participant in my Bring Your Book to Life® Program. Susan had signed up for the Nonfiction Writers Conference, including the pitch-the-agents session. “What if I get chosen to pitch? What will I say?” I offered to get on a call with Susan and give her some…
I met Kate Hanley years ago at a salon in the home of our friend Deb Walsh. Kate is always writing interesting books and articles and when she wrote How to Be a Better Person, I interviewed her for the how to write a book website about her book writing and publishing journey. Since then,…
On the Luxury of Journaling Many mornings, of late, I roll out of bed around nine thirty or ten, after hours of lazy writing. It’s relatively new to me, to spend so many hours lying in bed, recording my dreams, dialoguing with dream characters and journaling, followed by–sometimes–working on one of several books in process….
Benefits of a Virtual Conference I have had the privilege of being a presenter for the Nonfiction Writers Conference a couple of times now, and a pro for the ask-a-pro sessions for many years. I enjoy attending as much as presenting and I’ve learned to block out my schedule that week so I can attend…
I had an interesting thought on a call with a client. Imagine that your book is taking the reader on a hero’s journey. How do you meet your reader where they are right now at the beginning of their quest? How do you engage them for this quest? What do they need to do or…
Many of my clients write a book to grow a business, launch a new endeavor or even enable a career pivot. A couple of months ago, Bring Your Book to Life® program graduate Janet Snoyer shared, “What surprised me the most is how the book helped my business. My hits on LinkedIn and my website…
Did you miss the Bring Your Book to Life® training on Wednesday March 2? Listen to the audio recording here. or Watch the video . On this call we teach you how to: Get started, stay motivated and finish your exceptional book in record time. Break through any self doubt that’s getting in the way….
Kiko emailed me the other day asking my advice on how to find a literary agent saying she’d been reading my blog posts since 2015 and remembered my post on the value of having a literary agent. Kiko had recently sent her manuscript for her book out to a publisher. She hadn’t heard back but…
People often wonder, “What does a book writing coach do? How does it help? What’s the process that makes it all work?” While every book coaching relationship is different, certain specific challenges come up frequently—and there are very specific things I suggest to my book coaching clients to address these challenges as they arise—or to…
Are you curious about how I got to speak—and pitch—to a producer at one of the biggest TV shows in the country? My story begins in an unlikely place. Wednesday, I shared how I came to the conclusion that TV just wasn’t my thing. Maybe you found yourself nodding in agreement? It certainly didn’t feel…
In the fall of 2020, in anticipation of my planned January 2021 book launch for The Joy of Writing Journal, I hired a publicist who landed me some TV opportunities, where I spoke on 8 creativity-oriented evidence-based mood boosters that one can apply during a pandemic. The topic of creative mood-boosters related to what Gay…
When I ask someone, “Why write a book? What’s your vision?” I often hear, “To make a difference.” That’s certainly one of the most compelling reasons to write a book. “Tell me more,” I say. As the aspiring author dives deeper, I hear more specifically how they want to make that difference. They share their…
I first heard the term “human design” over a decade ago to describe a systematic way of categorizing five different constitutional make-ups from an energy perspective. Recently, my friend Deborah Louth suggested I look into it, since she saw me as a “projector” who needed to understand how I overspent my energy. Such insights could…
How to make 2022 a wildly creative year? Grab your journal and answer these questions: What’s your creative vision for 2022? What other projects are you excited about for the year and why? What is the most important project for you this coming year? Why? What else do you wish to accomplish by the end…
I met Dr. Kim at Harvard Medical School’s CME publishing course a few years ago. I was immediately struck by her assertion that the most damaging thing we do to our bodies as writers is not sitting but getting into and out of our chairs — perhaps a hundred times a day. Dr. Kim was…
Looking for the Best Holiday Gifts for Writers? You may have seen my guest post for the San Francisco Writers Conference on great gifts for writers where several writer friends from the SFWC community and beyond shared the best writerly gifts they’ve ever received. I got a little carried away with that post. My 500-1000…
Today, The San Francisco Writers Conference featured my guest post on Great Gifts for Writers. No ho-hum holiday gift guide, in this post, members of the SF Writers Conference and some other dear writer friends shared the best writing-related gifts they’ve ever received! Hanukkah isn’t over yet. Christmas and Kwanzaa are yet to come. Authors…
Perhaps you’re familiar with my tradition to blog my gratitude list this time of year. I have much to be grateful for, especially this writing community. Gratitude to You Here are a few things and people I’m grateful for: My journaling practice. Just about every morning, I’ve been journaling my dreams, followed by other journaling,…
As one of the pros in the Ask-a-Pro sessions for the Nonfiction Writer’s Conference, I get to talk to lots of brilliant people with outstanding book ideas. One of my jobs is to help them figure out how to best get that book published—self publishing, traditional publisher or hybrid. Last week, one of my consultations…
