How to Write a Book for the Wrong Book Market
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… Read more
Light a Candle for Your Inner Critic
Knock, knock; it’s your inner critic paying you a visit… Yesterday, I had two phone calls from writers a bit panicked about the quality of their writing. Jo was relieved when I told her that I enjoyed reading her rough draft and that it pulled me in and I wanted more. Apparently, the previous editor she showed it to had told her something a lot less helpful. The thing is, a first draft is not a polished piece. It’s our job as editors and writers to see the potential in a piece of writing, to sense what’s not there and… Read more
40 Reasons to Write a Book
What an exciting week! In between book concept consultations with people who recently joined my Bring Your Book to Life® Program, I’ve helped a few authors get unstuck, edited a couple chapters from clients who are finishing up their book proposals and worked on the training I’m offering today: Bring Your Book to Life® in 2019. Geri and I brainstormed about how I could continue to add value to subscribers while preparing for the training and we remembered an ebook I wrote last year: 40 Reasons to Write a Book. When I re-read it, I found myself re-inspired by the brief stories… Read more
Should I Self-Publish or Traditionally Publish? A Look at the Advantages of Both
Self publish? Traditionally publish? Don’t expect a black and white answer. I often help emerging authors grapple with the answer to this question near the beginning of the book-writing process. Why so early? The choice you make will affect whether you write a book proposal (traditionally publish) or the whole book (self-publish). And the decision is never “cookie cutter.” There are nuances to consider. Memoirist Seamus Kirst contacted me while writing his excellent article that appeared today in VICE about why he chose to self-publish his memoir, Shitfaced: Musings of a Former Drunk, and why he’s happy with that decision…. Read more
Embracing Your New Identity as a Writer
“I’ve made some progress with my outline until about two weeks ago and I’ve read hundreds of articles on writing in the past two months.” “Hundreds?” “Yes. Hundreds.” As an attorney who fights for environmental justice against the biggest polluters (you can probably guess some of the names of these companies), Janna was winding down her casework and planning to turn full time to writing books about her dramatic battles with some of our country’s most powerful companies against the backdrop of a court system consistently manipulated by corporate interests. While she found herself still wrapping up cases, she felt… Read more
Why You Haven’t Written Your Book Yet: 5 Tips to Start Writing (+Finish!)
The two biggest challenges of writing a book are to start writing and to finish your book. The other day I heard from someone who’d been working on her book for 15 years. 15 years! Have you been struggling to start writing your book or finish it? Here are the 5 main reasons I see people get stuck, along with tips to get unstuck and start writing: “I don’t know where to start.” Hard to start writing if you don’t know where you’re going. A road map will help. Sit tight. It’s coming. “Who am I to write a book?”… Read more
In Memory of Martin J. Tener
My dad passed away a week and a few hours ago. I’m still processing the loss of his body and my continued connection to his soul. There’s so much to share about my dad, a remarkable man from humble beginnings who remained intellectually curious until the day he died at 82. My brother and sister and I touched on different aspects of my father during our eulogies. Here, I share a few of my memories and thoughts from the eulogy I wrote and shared on Monday at his funeral: Many a Sunday morning, Dad led us in a rousing round… Read more
35 Superb Reasons to Write a Book Now
Thinking of writing a self-help book, how-to book or memoir? A few years ago, I began the new year on this blog with 25 reasons to write a book now. Readers loved the inspiring examples and the opportunity to add some new motivation to their book-writing dreams. Some even used this motivation to write and publish their book. Woot! Ready to find your mojo? You want to leave your legacy: After Dr. Eric Pfeiffer retired from practicing medicine, Yale University Press published Winning Strategies for Successful Aging and Caregiving in Alzheimers and Other Dementias. You’re finally ready to leave your corporate job behind, take… Read more
How to Keep Your Writing Momentum During the Holidays
I originally wrote this short piece to help the writers in my mastermind group keep their writing momentum going during the holidays. I realized that it would be timely to share with the wider community. A few ideas for making sure you keep writing while family is around and festivities abound: Be realistic. You don’t have to plan on tons of hours; just make sure you keep your momentum going. Can you write for two hours a week once or twice a week for the next couple of weeks? Schedule the time and date directly into your calendar and keep… Read more
Employ These Powerful Verbs in Your Leadership or Author Bio
Want to know one of my favorite editing tips when creating or revising an author bio, a book or a blog post? Employ powerful verbs. Search for verbs like: was, is, had, has, could, can, are and am in your document. When you find these not-so-powerful verbs, see if there’s a way to replace the meh verb with a verb that paints more of a picture. Verbs can convey movement (external and internal), emotion, change or transformation and impact. Naturally, a few weeks ago when I presented Rewrite Your Leadership Bio at Harvard Medical School’s Career Advancement and Leadership Skills for… Read more
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