how to write a book

Writing for Social Change: Meet Your Readers Where They Are

July 1, 2020 by Lisa Tener

I’m currently working with a woman who is writing for social change and who has built a strong activist community. She has a big vision–a horizon far beyond what her community can currently envision.

She wants to encourage them to the next level of activism in her book—and to expand how most of them currently view the social change issues she writes about.

How do you do that? How to get people from point A to point C, when most of them are not making the A to C connection? Can you make your reader grow beyond their current vision?

Don’t Make the Book About C

You want to have an impact. First you have to get the book into their hands. And then you need to get them to read it.

If you make the book about C and your social change community wants B, you lose the opportunity to influence the majority of your community through your book. Your potential readers probably won’t buy the book if it’s not promising what they want. They may not even realize this book is for them! The very book they’ve been aching for.

Instead, meet your readers where they are.

You meet them at point A! You promise what they are looking for when they are standing at the edge of point A and looking to reach point B. And then you walk them from point A to point B, the place where they want to go! Perhaps seeding a little bit for point C along the way. Deliver what they want.

Now Your Reader is Ready for Greater Social Change and the Bigger Picture

In the final chapters, you stand with your social change readers at point B and point a finger towards point C. “Look! Over there!”

Hold their hands and offer to take them to point C.

Some of them won’t want to go to C. They bought the book for B. That’s okay. Not everybody has to follow you to the end.

Here’s the beautiful thing. At point B, many a reader may not be quite the same person who picked up the book at point A. He or she will have changed, transformed by your book! Many of your readers will have shifted enough that now they’re ready to be led to point C. The final few chapters can take them to C.

In a nutshell, when you know your core readers are really looking for B, make the promise about B. Make the title and subtitle about B. Focus on getting from A to B, and then, from a new perspective, you can point to the new horizon and take them there, when your readers are ready.

What questions or challenges do you have when it comes to writing about social change? Or what insights can you share?

Do You Really Know Your Audience?

June 5, 2019 by Lisa Tener

While speaking with a client about her audience, I had a sense that the audience for her book was different from the audience for the high-end program she was developing.

So, we went to the source, her muse, and asked her muse (during a guided visualization) to show her the audience for the program.

The author had thought of her audience as a cross between herself and the people in another program—people who were overweight.

In contrast, her muse showed her people who looked more fit, a woman and a man. The man held a briefcase. Both looked professional and stressed out. In fact, she could sense their impatience and that they both didn’t even want to spend too much time for the muse, “We have places to go, things to do!”

[bctt tweet=”What to Do When Your Audience Isn’t Whom You Thought it Was. #writingtips” username=”LisaTener”]

As I suggested questions to ask her muse, during the exercise, her muse identified people who were more in line with the people who had been calling her and trying to pick her brain for the expertise and knowledge she possessed.

The author felt intimidated by this highly successful, stressed out audience, so I suggested we ask her muse to help her identify with them and feel more comfortable and confident. Her muse responded, “There is an aspect of you that knows what these people are going through: both their pain and desire. You do know what they need and want. Tap into your own identification with their success and stress; then expand and exaggerate it.”

Other things you can do in exploring your audience and getting to know them:

Send a survey to them asking about their pain, problems, hopes and dreams around the issue you are writing about.
Do some research online. Ask a librarian for help if you’re not great at research or hire someone who is.
Hold a focus group.
Go somewhere where your audience hangs out virtually (a Facebook group, a blog, other social media). You may need to use hashtags to find their conversations. See what they write, what worries them, what engages them, etc.)
Go somewhere where your audience hangs out in person (a bookstore, another type of store, a cafe). Listen to their conversations and see what you can glean about their interests.
Read Amazon reviews for books that cater to the same audience as you. What do they like about these books? What do they say they want that’s missing?
Think of people you know (family, clients, friends) who are part of this audience. Ask them about their needs, wants, hopes and dreams.
This articles shares more information on how to research the markets for your book. And here’s how to write a book for the wrong market!

For more help in clarifying your vision, goals, audience, as well as the content, tone, structure and features of your book, consider my self-study program, Quick Start to Kick Start Your book.

Now through Saturday, June 8, you can save 25% on the digital version and purchase for only $72.75. Find out the details or order here.

What are you doing to understand your audience? What do you want to know about them? Share your insights and questions as a comment below.

How To Write a Book after Signing a Contract with a Publisher

November 14, 2018 by Lisa Tener

When I emailed, “What do you want to discuss on our call?” all my client wrote was, “How to write a book.”

Dr. James Zender had just signed a book contract with a publisher and, not surprisingly, self doubt reared its ugly head. Can I really write a book?

Step 1: Address self-doubt.

Perhaps you’ve experienced similar doubts:

“Can I write a good enough book?”
“Will I be able to write a book within the schedule that I just agreed to?”
“Will anyone want to read it?”
“How can I do it right?”

Before we could move on to other steps, we needed to address the negative thoughts and feelings that naturally arise and get in the way. And we did.

I didn’t need to say much. Dr. Zender started by sharing his experiences at a conference he’d just attended, where the testimony of several of his peers underscored how under-served his target audience was. We were both a bit stunned by the silence around the subject of his book, and he felt even more determined that people needed his message. All this serves to motivate him to write the book.

I reminded Dr. Zender that he’d already written one chapter and an excellent proposal, as well as spent several years developing his platform. Much of the hardest work was done!

Not only that but he’d proven to himself and others that he could write a compelling chapter, and an equally compelling proposal. Obviously, he has the ability to write a book–and a good one.

In addition, his book proposal now serves as the blueprint for the book. By signing the publishing contract, he’s already agreed to write the chapters in the outline he presented. The path to take is clearly marked–by him!

Step 2: Break it down. Make a plan.

I asked him the number of words he’s committed to and to remind me the number of chapters he needs to write:

55,000 words
14 chapters left to write (out of 15).

We did the math. Approximately 3,667 words/chapter.

I suggested that with an early fall deadline, he aim for something like July 1 to have a first or second draft of the whole book. This gives him plenty of wiggle room for edits, changes or unforeseen circumstances.

It will be important to schedule specific times in his calendar and keep them sacred. Otherwise it’s too easy for priorities to shift and find yourself in a pickle near the end of the month.

Now, how to actually write the book? He has the blueprint already. If it works best for him, he can just put more and more detail in the outline, until he knows pretty much everything he wants to put in the book.

On the other hand, he has some fantastic stories. He may just want to choose the stories to tell in each chapter and start by writing that story in all its powerful detail. The writing of the story will naturally inform him of what points he wants to make in the chapter. In addition, the story writing will inspire, get the words flowing and make it much easier to write a book. So, it’s also fine to start writing, with a more modest chapter outline and let the writing flow from there.

There’s no right or wrong way to write a book. Experiment and see what works best for you. You can always change course.

Step 3: Consult your acquisitions editor.

I suggested that he come up with a list of all the questions he has for his editor. Rather than ask her for her vision, he should start with his vision, so that she’s more likely to be on the same page. Some of my suggestions included:

I’m planning on a conversational tone, not particularly academic; is that what you envision as well?
Much of my chapters are based on stories. How much quantitative information was she looking for, vs. qualitative information and anecdotes/stories?
Is she on board with the chapter outline as is or does she have any changes? Is there anything missing?
May I send you the first chapter or two for feedback as I write, to make sure we’re on the same page before I write the whole book?

This last question is important because I have seen what happens when an acquisitions editor suddenly has a completely different vision for a book after the author has spent months writing it! Don’t let that happen to you. Get some feedback from the get go so you know you’re on the same page as your editor.

Step 4: Get Support

writing coach to write a book — A writing coach can support you to write your book, offering guidance, feedback and accountability.

This author is not the kind of person who needs a regularly scheduled coaching call. He’s quite self motivated and committed. So, he emails me when he needs editing or coaching. However, if you know you need more accountability than that, a book writing course, private coaching or a combination of the two might be the best way for you to get the hand-holding you need to write a book and complete it.

If you are interested in a book writing course or a VIP Day (where we can develop a plan for your book, platform building, book proposal or all three), I have my biggest sale of the year coming up right after Thanksgiving. You can save from 30-70% on my programs, including self-study programs, like Quick Start to Kick Start Your Book, my Award-winning Bring Your Book to Life(R) Program, which includes lots of one-on-one with me and more. You can find out more on this Thanksgiving Sale Preview Page. The sales begins November 23, but you may want to check it out and reach out to me to see which program is best for you.

Note, my steps for this author are based upon already having the book proposal done, so he’d already done much of the work of developing a vision and goals, clarifying his audience and getting clear on the book concept and structure. If those are thing you need help with, my self-study program, Quick Start to Kick Start Your book can guide you in more detail through powerful exercises that provide clarity and direction. You can wait until it goes on sale (for $67.90 vs. $97), or, if you want it right away, you can buy it now and I’ll send you a special journal for your writing as a gift.

In addition, feel free to ask your questions on how to write a book (or a book proposal) below as a comment. I always answer!

It’s Easier to Write a Book Than You Think!

April 18, 2016 by Lisa Tener

Have you been thinking it will take forever to write a book?

I’ve been putting finishing touches on my book proposal workbook—the guide and worksheets that I’ve prepared for my upcoming program: Fast Track Your Book Proposal and I’ve been struck by a number of things. One of them is how quick it was to write this baby!

I thought it might inspire you to hear a bit about how quick it can be to write a book—especially if you’re thinking it’s going to take you a long time to write your book or book proposal.

I’d developed the worksheets a few years ago for a workshop I co-teach each year at Harvard Medical School’s publishing course. I’d also put some notes around the worksheets earlier.

So, when I decided I wanted to turn it into a book, I added a few elements to make it especially useful:

My best strategies for each section of the proposal
The most common mistakes for each section—and how to avoid them
A section on “What are they thinking?” —in essence, what’s going on in the acquisition editor’s or agent’s mind when they read this section of the book proposal. What are they looking for?

The structure I had already developed, the worksheets for people to fill out, plus the additional elements that made the book most useful, all made the writing easy peasy.

The takeaway? When you are an expert on your subject, with a strong outline for your book and well organized features, it can be fairly easy—and quick—to write the book. I’d put off this project for years thinking it would be a bear and I could not have been more wrong. Now, if your book requires lots of research, my model may not fit for you. But the book relies upon the knowledge, stories and examples already in your head, writing your book could be way easier than you think.

And, I should add, this is not a fluffy book. It’s chockablock with valuable information in a super-easy-to-use format. In fact, I’m so excited about this book, I plan to add a bit more to it this summer and get it published!

My invitation to you?

If you have a course or program you teach, consider turning your handouts and class notes into a book.
Write a solid outline (if you need help, check out my Quick Start to Kick Start Your Book)
See if you can turn the material, such as exercises and questions, you normally teach into workbook exercises.
Come up with some super-useful features as consistent add-ons to each chapter.
Set aside specific dates and times to do the writing—and keep those times sacred.
Do it.

And, by the way, if you are working on a book proposal—or you’ve always wanted to, then do look into my new program, Fast Track Your Book Proposal. You can get started right away on a great proposal—and have me guide you step by step to success.

Following up on this post, you can read more about how I tricked myself into writing a book and read about all the benefits of this particular process.

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

January 13, 2016 by Lisa Tener

A 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.

How Many Websites Should an Author Have?

May 28, 2015 by Lisa Tener

A client recently wrote me this question, one I hear often enough that I decided to answer here publicly.

“How many websites should an author have?”

There are different schools of thought on whether an author who is also an entrepreneur should have two websites–one for the business and one for the books.

Before I advise you, a bit of a background on SEO is helpful. SEO: Search Engine Optimization. Translation: Getting found on Google and other search engines.

My husband Tom Patterson is an SEO Expert and here’s what he taught me: when someone types in a “keyword” or “search term” for what they are looking for in Google or another search engine and the term is relevant to the work you do, you want your website to appear as one of the first sites they see. With me so far?

What does Google like most? Relevant content. How do you get relevant content on your site? You blog about all the things your clients, customers and readers want to know about.

Now if you have one website, then every relevant blog post you write will help Google see you as a trusted resource for certain keywords or search terms. If you have two websites, Google doesn’t like duplicate content so you really need to write different articles for each site. So now, in order to have the same amount of content on a site, you actually have to write twice as much.

You will also take people off your website when you send them to your other site–a strike against you with search engines.

Now, it may be that your books are not at all relevant to your business, in which case it does make sense to have two different sites. After all, you don’t want to confuse visitors to your site with a mixed message. But if your books are relevant to your business, consider having just one site. If you are a speaker, author, trainer, the website URL (the link) can be your full name. If that doesn’t fit for your business, you may want to stick with the business name, preferably a name that includes keywords or search terms that your customers or clients, your tribe, would use to find you.

Even if you use a business name with keywords, I highly recommend that you purchase your name as a URL (link) and have it point to your business. That way if you ever decide to use your full name, you own the URL.

The benefit of having your name as the URL/link is that no matter how your writing/speaking/consulting/coaching career changes, you can update your website to reflect your current direction and the URL is as relevant as ever.

I have to admit, I break the one website rule myself–and I’ll tell you why. My website as a book writing coach is very much branded around me. I also market for other editors and have aspects of my business that I may want to separate out and sell one day. I wanted a site that reaches a broader audience (not just nonfiction and self-help writers) and that also can shine a spotlight on the books my clients are writing. I also hoped to engage other writers to do author interviews, so that the site is not just around my ideas and work. That has worked out well. As of today How to Write a Book has nine contributors.

As a side note: E-mail me if you are interested in becoming a contributor. While there is no monetary remuneration, your bio will appear on the How to Write a Book contributors page with a link to your website and we will promote your post through social media and our newsletters.

Both Cheryl Richardson and Reid Tracy (Hay House author and CEO, respectively) tried to talk me out of this idea when I first planned to launch. And they had a good point. Having the two websites is definitely more work and maintenance. I’m not necessarily reaping significant benefits from the extra work yet. However, some qualitative benefits include: helping promote my clients’ books and work, connecting with new writers, creating good will in a broader community and connecting with new readers as more people share the posts. I also believe that in the long run, www.how-to-write-a-book.com will be a valuable community resource and piece of internet real estate. Time will tell!

My client, Amy Beilharz is also an exception to the rule. Amy has several websites: one for her canopy tours business, one for her book and business around Be a Female Millionaire and a third site around her coaching business around feminine balance, which will eventually have books associated with it as well. Because each business is distinct in its audience, messaging and purpose, they each needed their own sites because of that.

I can tell you that authors who create a separate website for every book can dilute their effectiveness. In general, I would suggest one website for the author, which includes all the author’s books.[bctt tweet=”Have one website for the author, which includes all the author’s books.”]

Feel free to ask additional questions about author websites or ask for clarification about “How many websites should an author have?” as a comment below.