Lisa Tener

Book Writing Coach

how to book

How to Write a Self-Help Book or How-to Book in 2016

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writing coach lisa tenerA client of mine received a wonderful nudge from the universe a few days ago. She’d been writing her first few blog posts, but hadn’t posted any yet.

Somehow, she accidentally sent the post to her whole mailing list. “Yoo-hoo! Time to put it out there, ready or not!” (That’s her muse speaking.)

She also hasn’t put out her shingle as a coach yet, but friends sent two clients her way.

There’s no more time to hide behind self-doubt anymore.

How about you? Are you feeling nudges to take action on your book?

Often, aspiring authors feel the passion and excitement about writing. They write chapters in their heads or notes on scraps of paper, but that’s not how a book gets written.

How to Write a Self-Help Book or How-To Book

  • Get in Touch with Your Passion: That’s where it all starts. Make a list of all the ways you feel excited about what can happen when your book comes out–what your readers will experience and what doors will open in your life. What is your book going to do for the world? For your readers? For you?
  • Commit: Set a goal; schedule time in your calendar; say no to some things so you can say yes to your book. Dedicate space in your office or home to book writing. Put your commitment in writing.
  • Develop a Plan that includes support, accountability and structure. Without those three, it’s much harder to stay the course.

Once you get on the horse with those first three steps, you can get into the finer details of envisioning the book. I recommend some soul searching and creative brainstorming before you begin writing, however. Get clear on your book concept before you actually start writing.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

  • What are my vision and goals?
  • Who are my readers? What do they want and need?
  • What is my book truly about? What is it not about?
  • What features are going to make my book come to life for my readers? What will make my book stand out and be powerful and special?
  • What’s the best way to structure my book?

I put together a very short ebook called, 5 Secrets to Bring Your Book to Life. It can help you get unstuck or restart, save time and stay on track. It’s a great starting point to write a self-help book or how-to book, and you can get it here for free.

Get it today and get started right away on your book. Have any questions about writing a book? Ask away. Or share as a comment what you need to get started.

Writing Book Proposal Chapter Outlines for a How-to Book

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book proposal coach lisa tener
Your Book Proposal Coach

Editing a book proposal yesterday I observed a common problem–this author didn’t know what to emphasize in her chapter outlines. I found myself asking, ‘Who cares?” as I read through the first few chapter outlines. In fact, I’d already read chapters of her book and I did care very much–this book has a large potential audience who is desperate for the powerful tools this author has to offer. It just didn’t come across in the chapter outlines at all.

If you write your chapter outlines with the following perspective in mind, you’ll avoid that problem and come up with a compelling and motivating outline for your book proposal.

As your write about what’s in each chapter, keep in mind your readers’ biggest problems, challenges and goals. What benefits or results are they looking for? You might start your outline with, “The chapter begins with a story about x that illustrates y.” In this single sentence, you can capture some sense of either the problem, the benefits of your solution or both.

Chapter Outlines Should Highlight Readers’ Takeaways

Make sure to highlight the takeaways of each chapter:

*  Will your readers reach a new understanding or perspective? Clarify.

*  What new tools will readers have and what results may these tools help them produce in their lives or work?

know your book reader
The more your understand your readers’ needs and who your readers are, the easier it will be to write your chapter outlines. [photo by David Donohue]
*  What stories do you have to illustrate your points and make the material come alive? You can use the above format to simplify rather than trying to summarize the story, unless your book is more narrative in nature (this post assumes a more prescriptive self-help / how-to book rather than something narrative).

* What features are included in the chapter (a sidebar that describes the latest research? a quotation, several exercises?)?

For a prescriptive book, it’s fine to bullet point. You don’t have to capture absolutely everything in the chapter–focus on what’s going to empower your readers and be most important to them. Your chapter also doesn’t need to teach agents and publishers the material. They just want to know that you have enough material, fresh material, that you address the needs of your readers, that it’s well organized, etc.

Writing a book proposal? Share your questions about chapter outlines and other book proposal issues below.

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