Lisa Tener
Book Writing Coach
As a reader of this blog, you may already know how much I love and recommend writers conferences for the inspiration, guidance, knowledge, exposure and networking they provide, as well as being one of the best ways to find out what’s working now in this ever-changing field of publishing. And one of my favorite conferences…
In light of the latest plagiarism scandal, is it possible to plagiarize without realizing it? And can you protect yourself? Yes, and yes! And you owe it to yourself, your readers, your publisher and everyone whose work you’ve read, admired, or been influenced by, to prevent plagiarizing. Be Original This may seem obvious, but one…
Last week, I attended an author event in Jamestown, RI—an author chat with Julie Gerstenblatt, author of Daughters of Nantucket, hosted by Robin Kall at the beautiful bookstore and winebar Curiosity & Co. and was struck by the importance of writing community. Writing Community Came First I met Julie at another author event through Rhode Island’s…
About a week ago, I came across a brief snippet of writing from a client who shows up to my Get Your Writing Done classes when she can find the time for writing. The playful description of herself inspired me, so I sent it to her. She followed up with a thank you and apology…
Perhaps you dream of writing a book. Or starting a blog. Or reading your poetry on your favorite radio station one day. But today, it doesn’t feel like you’ll ever get there. This post is for you if: Revisit Your Writing Dream When you started your book or blog or poetry or journaling, what did…
Lisa: Publishers are so focused on book marketing and author platform, but you got an agent and a book deal with a minimal platform. How did you do that? Trish: After several years of trying to build my platform, advised by people in the business that I shouldn’t even try to get an agent until…
It happens to everyone. You write and write and feel inspired and then boom.Or thud.You’re just not writing.Maybe you avoid it.Maybe you sit at your desk but nothing comes.Or maybe you are writing but hate it. The passion has leaked out of you and you’re left with blah blah blah. There’s hope. How to Overcome…
She Kept Doubting She Had a Marketable Book I recently heard from an aspiring author who had several ideas for a book. When she researched her first idea on Amazon, she found several books on the subject, many of which had excellent reviews. “I guess I should pack it in. Why does the world need…
People often email me asking, “How do I get an agent for my memoir?” Or, more broadly, they’re looking for representation for other narrative or prescriptive nonfiction (self-help, how to). Often, by the time they reach out to me, they’ve queried agents without success. Just yesterday, Bella reached out to me by email to say,…
Journaling is one of my favorite tools for personal growth, creative fulfillment and transformation. I do a lot of funky things in my journals–recording my dreams in the morning, which can include dialoging with a dream character, penning a poem inspired by the dream or something really out there like a one-act play with Greek…
Books don’t write themselves. They need you and me to make the time and space to get them written. And yet, it’s so easy to say, “Of course I’ll take you shopping tomorrow, Mom.” “The committee can’t find a new fundraising chair? Sure, I’ll take it on for another year.” Guess what? Blurry Boundaries are…
Today I have the great pleasure of hosting Day 6 of the Virtual Blog Tour of author Morgana Rae whose book Financial Alchemy: Twelve Months of Magic and Manifestation launches on Amazon on Monday, January 23, 2023. Meet Morgana Rae Early on in my book coaching business, Morgana Rae helped me transform my relationship around…
I recently gave a talk to a group of coaches who’d invited me to speak to their creativity discussion group on how to “Bring Your Book to Life(R): 5 Steps to Get Started.” Early on in my presentation, I asked participants, “Why do you want to write a book?” One participant shared, “I have a…
Ready to welcome the new year? Last week I shared 5 Ways to Say Goodbye to 2022—in Writing! It can be a powerful exercise to review the year and write or journal about highlights. We can grieve our losses and make space for new experience. And we can treasure what we loved about the year,…
New Year’s is a great time to remember the good of 2022 and consciously envision and create your new year through journaling or other writing. So, let’s thank and treasure 2022—in writing! Here are 5 ways to do so. Try one or try them all. By the way, if you want join me to journal…
Tip: Read the whole post to find out how you can join me for a free journaling workshop to set your creative vision for 2023! One of my favorite holiday gifts to give or receive is a journal or writing notebook. Sometimes I give a journal on its own. Other times I pair it with…
Last week, the San Francisco Writer’s Conference published my blog post with some of the best holiday gifts for writers, as suggested by colleagues, clients and friends. I loved their responses which shared the best gifts they’ve given or received and why it’s such a perfect present for a writer. Let’s Support BIWOC Businesses in…
Perhaps you’re familiar with my tradition of blogging my gratitude list this time of year. I feel especially grateful for our writing community—and that means you! Gratitude to You Here are a few things and people I’m grateful for: Thank You to the Many Authors I Read This Year At a time when much of…
I always send a questionnaire before a book concept consultation so that the author and I can both prepare for the session. As I look through the questionnaire, I make a list of any seeming or potential gaps in the author’s knowledge of book writing and publishing, so they can fine tune their book concept….
During our Get Your Writing Done call, Louisa’s computer crashed. She came in and out of the call a few times, had trouble with her audio and used a combination of phone and computer. I could see it was a struggle, but she kept with it. By the end of the call, Louisa had several pages of…
