Lisa Tener

Book Writing Coach

book writing coach

What Will It Take to Finish Writing Your Book?

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When an aspiring author contacts me, one of the first things they often share is, “I’ve been working on this book for years.” They started, got stuck, and tabled the book. Maybe later, they returned to the project only to lose momentum once again.

Or life just got in the way. They don’t seem stuck, just distracted.

Does that sound like you? If so, read on!

You Need a Plan

Lisa Tener book coachWithout a solid plan, many a writer’s book dreams(opens in new tab) slip away. Most people who complete their books and publish successfully start by putting together a plan. Their plan goes something like this:

  • Here’s who this book is for.
  • Here’s what I want to accomplish with this book (vision/goals)
  • Here’s why people will want to read and recommend my book!
  • Here’s how my book will support my readers’ transformation and/or accomplishments.

And then there are the logistical parts of the plan:

  • Here’s when I’m going to write (days, times).
  • Here’s how I’m going to be accountable.
  • Here’s what I need to learn and how I’m going to learn it.
  • Here’s how I’ll get feedback.
  • Here’s how I’ll make sure the writing is clear, engaging, entertaining, valuable, compelling.
  • Here’s how I’m going to determine my next steps to publish.

etc.

And then, you’ll plan the content:

  • The tone that will resonate for your readers.
  • The version of your authentic voice that empowers and engages your readers.
  • The features of your book that will make it most effective and valuable to your readers.
  • The structure of your book, starting with the Table of Contents and becoming more detailed.

Once that plan is complete, you’re ready to write.

The Easy Way to Reengage with Your Dream and Get Your Writing Done

If that list above seems daunting, don’t worry! There’s an easy way to reconnect with your dream, get your writing done, and complete and publish your book.

Yes, I’m talking about my Get Your Writing Done program (opens in a new tab).

This program offers a number of components:

  • 18-16 hours of live sessions on Zoom. We begin with some fun and easy mindful movement to get us into a flow state. Then we each set a brief (a word or so) intention for our session. Most of our time on Zoom is spent writing, AND you also have the opportunity to ask questions, meet with me in a breakout group, and often someone reads a brief excerpt and receives feedback from the community and me.
  • Access to all my self-study programs for nonfiction book-writing and for writing a book proposal. These tools include self-study courses, videos, interviews, exercises, ebooks and more to help you get started with your book concept

Let’s look at the program from the point of view of your book-writing plan.

Writing Your Book, Step by Step:

Looking back at what goes into your book-writing plan, here’s how you’ll get it in Get Your Writing Done:

In my Quick Start workbook, you’ll get guidance and exercises to help you determine your book concept. This includes :

  • Here’s who this book is for.
  • Here’s what I want to accomplish with this book (vision/goals)
  • Here’s why people will want to read and recommend my book!
  • Here’s how my book will support my readers’ transformation and/or accomplishments.

And you’ll also answer many of the logistical parts of the plan:

  • Here’s when I’m going to write: You can start with our Zoom sessions on Wednesdays, 6:30 – 8:30 PM ET, and/or Thursdays, 11:30 – 1:30 ET. Of course, you can add additional times. And the Quick Start workbook gives you tools to figure out your schedule and timeline.
  • Here’s how I’m going to be accountable: The program itself provides some accountability, including the option to meet weekly with an accountability partner and to answer the 5 empowering questions to stay on track. Some people add coaching or editing to their program to get even more accountability.
  • Here’s what I need to learn and how I’m going to learn it: When it comes to what you need to learn about writing and publishing, we’ve got you covered. While Get Your Writing Done provides self-study tools, including detailed guidance for editing your work (without AI!), you can also get your individual questions answered by me on our calls. And we can brainstorm whether you need additional learning in your subject area.
  • Here’s how I’ll get feedback: Because the program focuses on each person being efficient with their writing time, we spend only a little time on calls, with one reader sharing an excerpt and receiving feedback on each call. However, it’s amazing what participants have gleaned from those short reading/feedback sessions. And on some calls we break out into groups of two to read an excerpt and receive feedback, so that everyone can share (or you can choose to keep writing and skip the breakout!). In addition, you’ll find a great deal of guidance in my Inspiration to Author self-study program — also available on the private program website. Guidance includes how to identify beta readers, the best questions to ask them, how to find an editor and more. Plus, I am happy to make referrals, or you can hire me as a coach/editor (and receive Get Your Writing Done at no cost with a coaching program).
  • Here’s how I’ll make sure the writing is clear, engaging, entertaining, valuable, compelling: Again, the feedback on the calls is a helpful start, as is the extensive self-editing guide. We can also brainstorm in the Zoom room or in a breakout group for additional support.
  • Here’s how I’m going to determine my next steps for publishing: The Inspiration to Author self-study program provides support with publishing decisions, and you can also get support on our calls, in the large group or in a breakout with me.

In addition, from time to time, I identify an area where the group could use additional guidance or support and create bonus material for participants. This includes a course I offered in March on developing a “creative abundance plan” that includes time for writing, self-care, and other activities essential for a fulfilling writing journey. The course was free to everyone in Get Your Writing Done. If that sounds cool—and useful—there is now a video and course materials available to you when you sign up for the Get Your Writing Done program.

The Invitation

If you’ve been feeling frustrated that your book isn’t finished yet, join me and a cohort of committed writers—a few of whom used Get Your Writing Done to finish their first book and are now working on their next book!

A few details

  • Join us on Wednesday evenings, 6:30 – 8:30 pm ET, and/or on Thursdays, 11:30 – 1:30 ET. There’s no cost to come twice in a week!
  • Cost is $247/month. Or save big and sign up for 6 months for $997!
  • You can cancel your subscription at any time and will incur no additional fees.
We’re a friendly group of people who are kind, respectful and supportive! Read more about the Get Your Writing Done book writing program and sign up here (opens in a new tab).
Questions about the program? Email me here. (opens in new tab)

How to Write a Book for the Wrong Book Market

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writing coach on phone
Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

Earlier this week, on a call to explore writing coaching, Kaya picked my brain about writing a book for a trade audience, whether she’d be seen as an expert if she self published, how to evaluate the success of other books similar to hers, how to best build her platform, whether she should hire a publicist and much more. After about thirty minutes of questions, she mentioned in passing her desire to change careers and coach professionals in her field. Could she use her book to facilitate that career shift?

My bad for not asking about her vision for what the book might do for her life and career. Her final question made it clear to me that she was thinking of writing the wrong book (and for the wrong book market) to accomplish her goals. As a book writing coach, I should have started with that vision in the first place, so I’d be answering questions about the right book (and the right market) and not the wrong ones.

Kaya is not alone. Over the years I’ve spoken with many otherwise savvy business people who were either starting out with the wrong book market, or considering several book ideas, some of which did not dovetail with their goals and vision as well as others.

Why So Many People Write the Wrong Book for the Wrong Book Market

book idea
Photo by Vale Zmeykov on Unsplash

Sometimes, it’s easy to discount your greatest knowledge base and gifts, because you think “everyone knows that.” So you try to do something fancy: interview CEOs, create a book by reviewing all the latest research in your field. But the book that comes from what you know and do best is likely your greatest contribution to the field. And it will be a much easier book to write. And it just might be more in line with your goals.

Think of the executive recruiter who knows exactly what companies in his niche need to do to hire the best employees and retain them. He discounts the value of that knowledge because it’s second nature to him. Yet it’s exactly what CEOs and hiring managers need to know. And it’s exactly the book that will most likely help him grow his business.

Sure, a book about something you need to research might be more bright and shiny because you’ll learn something new, but that’s probably not your main criteria for writing your book. Besides, if you write with an open mind, you will learn new things. You’ll get to go deeper with your work, just be entering the process with a curious, open mind.

How to Write the Right Book for the Right Book Market

This writing coach’s advice: Before you go writing a book that sounds useful, intriguing, clever, challenging, marketable or trendy, ask yourself what you want to do with that book. If you do see it as advancing your career or changing careers, who is the intended audience, the book’s market, to facilitate that transition? Who would be your new clients? They are the book market for that book.

Here are 9 keys to clarifying your book market. You may also want to research your book market (or various potential target markets).

Reinventing the Dictionary

Just by chance, I happened to take a break from tying up this blog post and wandered into the living room while my 12-year-old was editing his latest Youtube video.

I thought the theme kind of fit this post in a tail-wagging-the-dog way. What do you think?

And, if you subscribe to Eskimo Banana on YouTube, you will make his day!

Have any questions about choosing a book market? Ask as a comment below.

 

Should I Have a Co-Author? Pros and Cons of Collaborating on a Book

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lisa tener book writing coach
Your Book Writing Coach

Today, I received two e-mails from two different Bring Your Book to Life Program participants asking whether they should have a collaborator write a chapter in an area where the author does not have as much expertise. As I wrote to the second author, I realized that I’d heard–and answered–this question more than once and perhaps many of my blog readers could benefit from my answer, so here it is:

I’m convinced that my first book–The Ultimate Guide to Transforming Anger— would never have been published were it not for my co-authors. Peaco Todd helped me see a bigger vision of what the book could be–one that would appeal to a much wider audience. Her cartoons also made the book a million times more powerful and fun to boot.

book by writing coach lisa tener

We still had trouble finding a publisher or literary agent, because we weren’t anger experts.  Collaborating with Jane Middelton-Moz not only made our book publishable, but it made it better, because of her depth of expertise on the subject and the stories that made the book come alive.

Here are 7 “Pro’s” for writing a book with a collaborator/co-author:

1. VALUE: Potentially, you can write a better book that provides more value, wisdom, expertise, fun, accessibility, real life examples,  etc. for readers.

2. CREDS: The book will have more credibility if your co-author possesses expertise you lack.

3. TIME SAVINGS: You have less to write.

4. PROMOTION AND SALES: Additional authors can provide more man- or woman-power to promote the book and reach more people. Jane continues to hold anger workshops and seminars (which I do not) and it’s due to Jane that our book continues to sell and I get a royalty check every quarter.

5. CONNECTIONS: Your co-author may also provide connections that you do not have. In our case, Jane had published ten books at the time with Health Communications, so it was easy for her to present our book proposal and get a “yes” from her publisher.

6. RELATIONSHIPS: When our book came out, there were issues with the dimensions and cover. Book stores would not stock the book, despite the great publicity we were getting. Because of Jane’s long term relationship with the publisher, they agreed to re-publish with a new title and ISBN number (so it would be considered a new book) in order to capitalize on our PR and actually have the book in stores. Without this relationship, our book would have been dead in the water–these were the days before Amazon was as big as it is now. Bookstores were still the main way books got sold. It’s hard to say what relationships your co-author may have that can help the book, but this is something to consider.

7. SUPPORT: It can be motivating to work with a co-author. You can write the book faster and more efficiently. You can help each other get past any blocks, as my co-authors and I did several times.

Sounds great, right? It can be. But are there any “cons” to be aware of? Absolutely. In fact, I know someone who ended up throwing out the original 3,000 copies of her book and starting over with a new title and ISBN number, not to mention hiring a lawyer, when she discovered that her co-author had plagiarized his section of their book.

That’s your worse case scenario, but other challenges can arise. Here are some of the “cons” or just issues to be aware of and work to prevent:

1. CONFLICT: Not all conflict is bad. Sometimes hashing out a difference of opinion will lead to a better book. However, to avoid unproductive conflict be sure to have a written understanding of how you will resolve conflicts and address differences of opinion. Also choose your co-author / collaborator wisely.

2. MISUNDERSTANDINGS: You may think you’re on the same page about issues but you don’t want to wait until a crisis to realize you’re not. Think of all possible scenarios for writing, editing, publishing and promoting the book. Address your expectations ahead of time. I promise another post shortly on issues to consider to prevent misunderstandings–the list is extensive.

3. LIMELIGHT: If you hire a publicist, how do you decide who gets the big opportunities? Sometimes you may be able to be interviewed together but many times, the newspapers or talk shows want one person. How do you decide who gets what? And who should be “pitched” for which opportunities?

4. MONEY: Have a very clear sense of how you’ll pay expenses. The author above footed the bill for many items and when she did open a bank account with her co-author, he cleared it out. Yikes. Pay attention to red flags. If you are equal collaborators, share expenses from the get-go so one person doesn’t end up contributing more than the other.

5. TONE and VOICE: Ideally, the tone and voice of a book should be fairly even. If a collaborator writes one chapter–or many–can you have the tone match yours well enough so it “fits”? Do you need someone to help the two of you match tone? Alternating voices may work if you alternate chapters, but if your collaborator only writes two it may just feel clunky unless the tone and voice match.

6. CONSISTENCY: It may feel odd to readers if the chapters are too different from each other. Can you match the structure of the chapters? Will readers feel thrown to suddenly read a chapter by someone else? Or will it be refreshing–and instill confidence–to read the chapter by an expert on that chapter’s subject? Explore the reader experience by asking some potential readers.

7. LIABILITY: What if your co-author plagiarizes? What if they do something that compromises the book project legally? Be sure to do your homework on the person before collaborating. Do a “google search” on them. Ask colleagues about them. Also, have your collaborator meet trusted friends or colleagues of yours and see if they get any  red flags. Listen if they do, even if you are excited about the potential collaborator.

8. OWNERSHIP: It’s a joy to own something with someone you love and enjoy–whether it be a home, a boat or a book. But what happens if things go sour? Can you still teach workshops on the topic if you developed those  workshops with a co-author you no longer speak with? Or even if you are on speaking terms, do you need to pay your co-author to use teaching materials you developed together? Be sure to develop clear expectations in writing for such possibilities.

As you can see, collaborating with a co-author has many benefits. Just choose wisely, do your homework, listen to your intuition and be very clear about expectations. Also explore ahead of time how having different authors might affect the reader experience.

2016 Update: Since writing this post, I have  developed a checklist of 17 Questions to Answer with a Co-writer or Collaborator. These questions will help you determine whether you share the same vision and expectations and whether your co-writer or collaborator is an ideal fit for you and your book project.

Have a question about co-authoring or collaborating on a book? Or do you have an experience to share? Please share your comments below.

Other Collaborative Opportunities for Authors

2022 Update: I recently published a new book, The Joy of Writing Journal, Spark Your Creativity in 8 Minutes a Day, which has won three prestigious 2022 book awards to date: The Nautilus Book Award, The Independent Publisher Award (IPPY) and the National Indie Excellence Award.

Even though I wrote this book on my own, the process was still quite collaborative:

  • More than half a dozen beta readers tested the material and provided feedback; their comments helped me enhance the book tremendously.
  • I hired an editor for fine tuning.
  • I recruited dozens of authors, book coaches, writers and journalists to share their reactions to the prompts by video and incorporated the videos into the book through QR Codes.

In this way, creating the book was highly collaborative. Some of the authors and writers featured in the videos also helped share the book with their communities, helping me reach more readers.

Thus, if you prefer not to co-author a book, but enjoy collaboration, you can find other creative ways to collaborate.

The joy of writing journal
Here’s the original edition.

No Book Clarity? No Audience? No Platform? Do Not Overlook Your Gifts!

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book writing coach Lisa Tener
Your Book Writing Coach

A strong theme this week has been clients bemoaning their lack of…

* Platform

* A catchy title

* Clarity on tone or direction

…only to realize the incredible potential that lay beneath the surface—and in each case, the amazing foundation they had in place to build upon:

*  The client who bemoaned she had no platform and sent me a mock up for a website unlikely to draw many fans due to a lack of focus: I discovered that she had a 20,000 person mailing list for her “other business” and pointed out a way to merge an event focused around her book theme that was a natural for her business. We also came up with some BIG name celebrities to invite to the event. Oh and did I mention the 200 businesses across the US that she helped get started in a business like hers? Hmm, the ability to duplicate this great event across the country…and, oh, yeah, she’d gotten her home-grown business lots of national PR–from the front page of the New York Times Travel Section to the Disney Channel. Just maybe that is a platform–and an amazing foundation from which to launch this new, seemingly unrelated new passion.

*  Another client who’d been struggling for months with a title: I just suggested the two words that he’s all about and voila–perfect title. Neither of us could believe it when we found there wasn’t another book with this title already. He even backordered the URL!

*  A client who had no business plan for her potential book and saw her topic as interesting to only a very small audience who lived on the remote island she writes about:

Tropical Island Paradise
Tropical Island Paradise

I asked her if she would consider holding retreats on this island paradise as a way to expand her work around the book topic and begin to build a following and she lit up.

So, what gifts are you discounting? What might be obvious to someone else about how you can reach people with your message–whether  your book is out there already or you’re just beginning to write it or pitch it to agents?

gift
If x were a gift, what would it be?

Whatever feels like your most vulnerable weakness may actually be your greatest strength. Ask yourself these questions:

1. If x were truly a gift, what would it be?

2. What am I not seeing about this situation that I see as a weakness, daunting or an insurmountable challenge?

3. What are my gifts? Is there a creative way to leverage them in this situation?

4. Can I build upon  a past success in a non-linear way?

Please share any insights here–or ways you’ve already reinvented yourself to leverage your gifts.

 

Lessons Learned in 2012

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This post is inspired by Rusty Shelton’s Lessons Learned in 2012. I learn awesome lessons from my clients every day–lessons about staying with one’s vision, surrounding oneself with supportive people, trusting the muse, the importance of writing daily.

Serving as a bridge between the person and their creative muse, I constantly witness people stepping into their greatness—letting go of old beliefs and ways of being that don’t serve them and expanding into a more evolved vision and adopting new habits. I learn way more than I can put in one blog post. So, I’m limiting this post to some clients who published books recently.

From Drs. Carrie Barron and Alton Barron, authors of The Creativity Cure (Charles Scribners Sons) I learned how to launch a book with a party that reflects the book perfectly. I also learned from reading The Creativity Cure that Creativity can be as important to our well-being as the food we eat and that movement and stillness are both critical to creativity.

percolate bookFrom Elizabeth Hamilton Guarino, author of Percolate: Let Your Best Self Filter Through, I learned that it takes a village to support an author—she was brilliant at bringing in her team for feedback and just signed a book contract with Hay House for Percolate.
<br.
a love child bookFrom Ellen O’Neill, author Ellen Who? I learned the power of putting your message out there. Ellen fearlessly wrote about her own experience as a secret love child in her blog and the Huffington Post and appeared on Dr. Phil, Dr. Drew and the Discovery Channel.

dreas dream bookFrom Susan Rizzo Vincent, author of Dreas’ Dream: An Unfinished Dance, and Martha Rhodes, author of 3,000 Pulses, I learned that you can make something beautiful and helpful to others out of life’s most tragic experiences.
From Juan O’Callahan, author of Wellness for Super Seniors, I learned the exercises and diet to be and stay healthy at any age.

Dr. Tim Warren, author of Lessons from Everest, provides a continual example of what’s possible when you set your mind to any goal—even those that seem unattainable.

book coverHolly Hutcher Shamir and Terri Stark, authors of The Quantum Olympics showed me how we can all increase our performance and give a quantum Olympic performance in our lives.

Pat Hastings, author of Simply a Woman of Faith, reminded me the importance of trusting in our dreams even when something else is showing up in the moment.

self worth bookBelinda Fuchs Rosenblum, author of Self-Worth to Net-Worth shows how to have your book working for you well before you publish

Linda Joy, author/editor of A Juicy, Joyful Life and Embracing Your Authentic Self, continues to teach me about nurturing relationships, as well as planning ahead.

Deb Scott, author of The Sky is Green and the Grass is Blue: Turning Your Upside Down World Right Side Up, is a continuous example of positivity.

Kaye Michelle, author of Return of the Heroine mirrored back to me the importance of intuition—and trusting it.

Stacy Corrigan, author of Manifest Your Man proved how easy it is to get endorsements from celebrity authors when you write a great book. She also is a living endorsement of being crystal clear about vision, prioritizing and delegating.

Anne Burnett, author of Step Ahead of Autism, offers an inspiring example of commitment and creativity in both publishing and parenting. She taught me the importance of taking time to observe before acting.
feel good spaces bookSherry Burton Ways, author of Feel Good Spaces showed me that a book doesn’t have to be long to have impact.

Janet Crain, author of If You Want an Eggroll Get Out of the Pizzeria, reminds me to bring humor into a situation.

midlife woman's journalBonnie Leonard, author of Reinvent Your Life Write Now, is a fine example of someone who practices what she preaches. She is brilliant at creating a life that’s stimulating, contributing to others, fun, relaxed and—dare I say—balanced.

It’s hard to limit this list–every book has taught me something–whether or not it’s in print yet. And each consultation, each visit with a writer and his or her muse, is sacred and wonderful. So, if your name isn’t in this post, know that your process, your book and your wisdom–you– have touched me deeply as well.

Writing Blocks: Do You Ever Get Overwhelmed?

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Book Writing Coach Lisa Tener
Your Book Writing Coach

This theme of overwhelm has come up in multiple book concept consultations in the past week as I’ve met with new participants in my Bring Your Book to Life Program.

As I take them through a visualization I call, “Meet Your Muse,” the messages from their muses have been consistent as well–versions of, “One page at a time.” The muses seem to concur that you don’t need to focus on the big picture the whole time.

Most of these book-writers have begun their outlines–using a process I suggest with color-coded index cards.  Once the outline is done, just pick a section and begin. You don’t have to start with the chapter that “scares you” as one writer put it. Choose a fun chapter, or one you feel excited to write. That’s the beauty of the outline. It provides a structure so you can be more free.

walk in nature as a writing break
Take a walk in nature as a writing break to refresh and clear your mind.

I once had a book writing course participant who took one day off a week and planned to write eight hours that day. She said she couldn’t manage writing any other day. She struggled until she could let go of the pressure of an eight hour writing day. Ideally, start with small blocks of time. Try a half hour. If you find yourself just getting into the rhythm of writing, increase  your writing blocks to an hour or two. After that, you’ll probably need a break. Take a walk outside. Then begin again.

What are your tricks for getting past overwhelm? Share them as a comment below. Or share your writing challenges and I’ll provide what experience and suggestions I can to help you.

10 More Reasons to Write a Book: True Stories

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Thinking about writing a book? Maybe you’ve been thinking about it for a long time, too, huh? There’s nothing like a vision for what that book will do to help you get motivated. What will that book do for your business, your career, your life? How about the lives of your readers and the community beyond that?

Here are some inspiring examples of just 10 of the benefits of writing a book:

belinda and book1. Get New Clients and Sell More Products: Within two months of launching Self-Worth To Net Worth,  co-author Belinda Rosenblum says she’s seen sales grow steadily for her DIY home study product. The book is also attracting new clients.  “My new book is serving as the gateway to open a much-avoided, and much-needed, new conversation about money. The book offers the easy access way in. I’ve been so pleased at how quickly I am seeing a return on investment for this book and how much my audience wanted this resource to help them get started.”

autism book cover2. Get a High End Job in a Challenging Economy: Anne Moore Burnett, author of Step Ahead of Autism, and Bring Your Book to Life Program graduate,  credits her book as being the number one reason for securing a high level job as Executive Director for a national nonprofit at a generous compensation package well above what she’d been earning. Anne told me that when she contacted the organization, they read her book and re-opened the position, despite having picked a finalist. In interviews everyone shared how inspired they were by Step Ahead of Autism. The book spoke to her expertise in a powerful way that an interview just can’t match.

3. Land High Profile Speaking Gigs: Bring Your Book to Life graduate and author of The Generosity Plan, Kathy LeMay gives book-related talks to financial advisors at many of the big banks to educate them about advising their clients on philanthropic investments. The book also leads to many keynote opportunities to nonprofits and corporations alike.

book cover
Publication led to research funding, keynote speaking and growth of the author’s medical practice.

4. Fund Your Research, Non-Profit or Other Endeavors:  Dr. Michael Banov, author of Taking Antidepressants credits the book for the increase in funding for his research. In addition, the book’s  accessible, conversational style, which was a focus of my work with him, sends the message of a compelling and understandable speaker on the subject–leading to many high profile speaking gigs around the country.

5. Re-Invent Yourself and Retire from Your Day Job: Nine months after publishing Simply a Woman of Faith, my client Pat Hastings took a leap of faith and retired from her job as a substance abuse counselor. Her book launched her career as speaker, retreat leader, spiritual coach and radio show host.

6. Travel the World: That was Pat Hasting’s dream and she now leads workshops and retreats– based on the subjects in Simply a Woman of Faith–in Bermuda, Hawaii and on cruise ships to exotic destinations like Mayan Ruins.

creativity cure cover7. Transform People’s Lives: Back to Pat Hastings: When Pat first came to me, she had no faith in her writing ability and had never learned the tools and skills of compelling writing. Now, she regularly hears from fans to say how much they loved her writing and that her book, “Changed my life.” The Creativity Cure by Drs. Carrie and Alton Barron–featured recently in Parade, Allure and The Atlantic Monthly, is another example of a life transforming book. Come to think of it, most of the dozens of books of my clients have that power.

book cover fashion feng shui8. Fill Your Seminars: Evana Maggiore, author of Fashion Feng Shui: The Power of Dressing with Intention and founder of Fashion Feng Shui (TM), says that she often hears from someone who found her book online, read it in one sitting and immediately called to sign up for a $3,500 seminar. If you hate sales, your book can do the work for you and many clients are sold before they even call you.

9. Develop Demand for Your Services and Those of People You Train: One of the reasons Evana wrote Fashion Feng Shui was to help develop worldwide demand for her powerful system for dressing with intention. As a result of the book, new clients contact her from throughout the US, Europe and Australia/New Zealand seeking a trained consultant in their area.

book cover favorite child10. Be a Thought Leader and Get National Publicity: When we began working together on her book concept and book proposal, Dr. Ellen Weber Libby said she wanted to write a groundbreaking psychotherapy book that would affect national discourse and help people realize the importance of the phenomenon of The Favorite Child, the title of her book. Not only has she raised awareness of The Favorite Child Syndrome nationally on the CBS Early Show and through her blogs on Psychology Today and The Huffington Post, but she’s been on top morning shows in South America and Australia, going way beyond our borders and reaching people well beyond what she initially imagined.

So, why are you writing your book? What passions motivate you? What’s your vision? If you’re already published, please share what your book has done and inspire us!

And if this post has motivated you to get started, sign up now and join me and Linda Joy for our Sept. 18 teleseminar, Birth Your Book: From Inspiration to Published Author. I’ll be sharing some new powerful tips and ideas to help you get started right away (and write the right book–the one that turns your vision into reality.

Writers: Social Media Contest for My Platform Building Presentation

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writing coach Lisa Tener
Your Book Writing Coach

In preparing for my presentation on Building Your Online Platform at URI’s Ocean State Summer Writing Conference, I’ve been looking for good examples of authors who use their Facebook page effectively or who have created great YouTube book trailers and other author videos.

Well, that could take a great deal of research time, but not if you help me. So, please nominate your favorite examples and the winners will receive:

  • Their (or Your) Facebook Page or YouTube Video featured in my presentation to potentially hundreds of people
  • A copy of my special report: Writing Breakthrough: 5 Powerful Steps for Inspiration and Flow to help you eliminate blocks and consistently write from an inspired place
  • Books by conference presenters (including Crystal Wilkinson)
  • More prizes to be announced shortly…

Can you nominate yourself? Of course!

Nominate them here as a comment. Share the link and anything else you’d like to say. And I hope to see you at URI June 23-25 for an inspiring and brilliant writing conference.

How to Edit a Book: How Many Times Should I Edit?

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book writing coach
Your Book Writing and Editing Coach

As a nonfiction author, you need to do more than just write a book, you need to know how to edit a book!

I just got off the phone with one of my Bring Your Book to Life® students, who’d asked, “How many times should I edit my manuscript?”

For nonfiction book editing, novice writers often assume an edit or two will do it. The problem is, you can’t look at all editing issues at once. You often need to read the manuscript looking at one or two particular issues and then go through another time for another issue. Here are some editing tips for nonfiction writing that will teach you how to edit a book. I offer 10 ways to focus as you go through each iteration of nonfiction book editing:

The Developmental Edit(s)

1. You’ll want to start with a developmental edit, which looks at the big picture details: structure, tone, missing elements, areas that need more depth, what to cut, clarity and other global issues.

You might well start your first edit by looking at how the material is organized. Ask yourself:

– Does the order make sense?

– Is the information clear?

– Do I need to elaborate anywhere?

– Is some of the material too detailed or too technical for most of my readers? Or is it not technical enough in places?

– Should I move things around?

When you’ve edited your manuscript once through with these questions in mind, pat yourself on the back. You’ve completed your first developmental edit.

2. Next, you may want to read (and edit) for tone, stories and interest level:

– Are there places I can make it more interesting?

– Are there stories that would illustrate my points?

– Is the tone consistent and does it work for my audience?

Once you’ve edited a book for these three areas–tone, stories and interest–you can likely move to a copy edit of the book. How to copy edit a book? I’m glad you asked!

How to Copy Edit a Book

Once you’ve done your developmental edit(s), you may be ready for a copy edit — exploring the book line by line to make the writing clear, entertaining, succinct and polished. In the copy editing phase you also ensure the book is error-free.

David Donahue's Photo
Inject energy into your writing. [David Donahue’s Photo]
3. Next, you may read (and edit a book) for passive verbs and see where you can change them to more active verbs. Verbs give your writing energy. They shape your writing and make it compelling (or not).

4. Another book edit may be about “show vs. tell.”

– Where do I tell readers something without illustrating it?

– How can I make this information come to life with specific–even quirky–details?

– Are there places where statistics or research can back up what I am saying?

5. Another book edit may be for concise writing:

– Are there extra words I can delete: words like “so”  and “well” at the beginning of a sentence and words like “really,” “very,” “so” and “that” throughout the manuscript.

– Can I say things in fewer words?

– Does the writing get awkward, clunky or unclear anywhere?

– Do I have any run-on or overly complex sentences?

edit aloud
You can have someone read aloud to you to get new nuances when editing.

7. and 8. You may want to do several edits “in your head” and then read aloud for further editing. You’ll notice different things when you read aloud. You can also have someone read aloud to you for another perspective.

Getting Feedback to Edit Your Book

9. It’s always important to have readers from your target audience read and give you feedback. Make sure you give them questions, like, “What do you want more of,” and, “Where do you get bored,” or, “Where did I lose you,” so they know specifically what to look for.

10. I always recommend hiring a professional editor to polish your work. They will catch things you cannot. I have hired editors for my work, because it’s easier to edit someone else’s work than one’s own.

Learn how to edit a book and you will be more successful as an author. Here, we have a minimum of 10 edits.  The editing work you do will improve your writing dramatically–and can be the difference between a book your readers recommend to others and one that sits on the shelf.

You may want to bookmark this post and come back to it when you need to edit. Or print a copy and post it on your bulletin board or fridge.

I’d love to hear from readers about some of the iterations you go through when editing (and how you edit your books). I’m sure I left out a few things. How do you edit your work and how many times do you edit? (Feel free to ask questions, too, of course).

How Much Time Does it Take to Write a Book?

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Your Book Writing Coach Lisa Tener
Your Book Writing Coach Lisa Tener

An aspiring author recently called me to explore writing coaching to help him write his book. He wondered about hiring a ghostwriter. Generally, I’m all about writing your book yourself. I’ve met too many people who’ve hired ghostwriters and been disappointed.

And most relatively smart people can develop an engaging (or even compelling) style and find their authentic voice as a writer by learning a few important skills with the help of a writing coach or editor. The only reasons to hire a ghostwriter is if you’ve gotten solid expert help and you still can’t write or you just don’t have the time.

This person didn’t have much time. His question was critical. Could he find the time to write his book?

enjoy-writing

It can take years to write a book and I know people who’ve written books in a manner of weeks. In my book writing classes, some students have a first draft within eight or ten weeks. Some never finish at all; others can take months to write their book.

Writing a book as quickly as eight weeks assumes that either you don’t need to do much research for the book, or you write your first draft without doing much research and then you do the research afterward (or have someone else do some of the research for you).

You’ll write faster (and you’ll write a better book)  if you spend time before the writing to clarify your goals in writing a book, the audience or market for the book, the book concept, including features, tone, how the book fits in with what’s currently out there, and the outline of your book.

How fast you write a book also depends on how much time you commit per week. However, just because you devote yourself full time to writing doesn’t mean you’ll have your book any sooner than someone who has a full time job. Sometimes the people with demanding jobs are the best at making the most of the 30 or 90 minutes a day they devote to writing a book.

While I can’t tell you how long it will take you to write your book, I do know that those who consistently make writing appointments in their calendars and hold themselves to it (often with the support of a writing buddy, book coach or a book writing class) can often predict, after a few weeks, how soon they’ll have a first draft.

This proud author wrote his book in record time. And he swears he didn't hire a ghostwriter.
This proud author wrote his book in record time. And he swears he didn't hire a ghostwriter.

If you’re wondering how long it will take to write a book, I suggest you spend time to clarify the market and book concept, outline the book and then write for two to three weeks. Be consistent about your weekly commitment and see how much you accomplish in that time. At that point you should be able to project how long it will take you to complete writing your book.

If, in that time, you get little accomplished, you’ll also realize it’s a good idea to reach out for more help in whatever form works best for you–writing buddy, writing group at a local library, a book writing class, an editor or a writing coach.

Just get started and your answer will become clearer. And, at some point, you’ll know exactly how long it takes to write your book–you’ll be holding that book in your hands.

Authors Need to Social Network; Try a Few Apps

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Your Book Writing Coach
Your Book Writing Coach

As an author or aspiring author, you need to use social networks to help create your platform and, eventually, promote and sell your books.

Yet, social networks can eat hours or days of your time with little impact. This is because social networks aren’t generally built in a day. If your social network is going to work for you, you want it to be filled with people who know and love you.

Should you friend or follow just anyone who asks? I say no. Be picky. That way, when you send messages or invitations to people on your list, you know they actually care and that they won’t report your communications as spam, for one thing.

Facebook can be part of your social media strategy.
Facebook can be part of your social media strategy.

If you’re a busy and successful professional, I suggest just taking a couple of hours a week to build your networks and friend/follow people on Facebook, Linked in, twitter, etc. whom you know well from different walks of life.

If you are just joining these networks, create a profile. Ask colleagues for recommendations on Linked In.

Then try a few apps (applications). Here’s the latest application I tried on linked in. It’s a one question poll on whether you want to write a book in the near future. I’m wondering how it’ll work. Here, you can take the poll right here.

I’d love to hear from you. What social networks do you belong to? What strategies do you use? What are your favorite apps?

Dressing for Your TV Interview? Chris Fulkerson’s 12 Top Tips

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Your Book Writing Coach
Your Book Writing Coach

My first time on TV, no one told me not to wear busy designs with lots of color. I wore my most stunning spring suit and it danced around the screen hypnotically (and distractingly) when I appeared on ABC World News with Peter Jennings. Of course, I should have asked…or researched. Sigh.

I was never able to use that footage as a sample interview, not because I spoke poorly, but because I looked like a complete amateur by the way I dressed.

Those were the days before the internet, when you actually had to call people to find out such information. But just in case, like me, you haven’t thought to ask the question, I’m bringing it up for discussion.

Maybe you’ve already appeared on TV, maybe your book is coming out and you’re preparing for the big day, or maybe you’re working on building your platform and you realize it’s best to start right away–maybe even by appearing on some local cable stations to get your feet wet.

Whatever stage you’re in, it’s time to do your research and learn how to dress for TV. There are more caveats to be aware of than just dizzying fabric design.

Chris Fulkerson shares what to wear for TV interviews
Chris Fulkerson shares what to wear for TV interviews

I asked my friend and writing coaching client, Chris Fulkerson, a professional image consultant extraordinaire, to provide her top tips for dressing for TV.

Says Chris, “Once you’ve defined your key message and practiced answering possible interview questions, you need to answer the most important question of all – what will you wear?”

As a professional image consultant, Chris has seen many people improve their credibility and image by selecting clothing that properly fits, is in their best colors, expresses their personality, and enhances their figure. A television appearance is no different.

Chris points out that, “When we look at someone for the first time we look at clothing first and face second. Studies have shown that we evaluate each other in two seconds and less. Keep that in mind and follow these tips when getting dressed for your television interview:

dress shields

1. If you are not familiar with the television station, phone them and ask what color background is used in the studio. You wouldn’t want to show up wearing blue if they have a blue background, you’ll blend in and not stand out.

2. Your makeup, wardrobe, and hair should be consistent with your message. If your message is conservative, a suit would be best. If your message is fun and informal, wear a sweater.

3. Because of the studio lighting, studios are kept cool. When the lights hit you, you could warm up quickly. If you perspire easily, consider wearing dress shields.

4. Solid colors are best. Avoid black, white or red and avoid print, plaid or checked clothing. They can affect video quality.

5. Select matte fabrics. Men should avoid shiny print ties.

6. If wearing a suit, carry your jacket into the interview so it is not wrinkled. Shorter jackets for women work best since the fabric doesn’t fold at the hips.

7. A lapel microphone and transmitter (the size of a pack of cigarettes) should easily attach to the outfit you selected.

8. Avoid ruffles, slit skirts that need to be held closed when seated, jeweled tie tacks, and any flashy jewelry that reflects light.

9. Avoid anything that could jingle such as jewelry or buttons. The noise will be picked up by your microphone.

10. Men should wear matching knee-length socks and shoes that complement the suit color.

11. The television cameras can make you look weightier than you really are. If you want to

David Donahue's Photo
Keep your dress simple but stunning. [David Domahue’s Photo]
appear thinner wear darker colors with simple lines.

12. Remove coins from your pockets, leave your cell phone in the car, swallow your gum, stay hydrated, and don’t walk on the set with a pen in your hand.

Chris’s final advice? “Before leaving the house, sit in your outfit in front of a full length mirror. Do you feel comfortable, confident, and happy with what you see? Do you have good posture? Double check your hair and makeup then don’t forget your best accessory – your smile! I’ll be watching you.”

Thanks, Chris!

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