writing a book

Overcoming Overwhelm to Write a Book—and Finish It!

April 14, 2021 by Lisa Tener

As I’ve been meeting with students in my Bring Your Book to Life^® Program, several have had moments of overwhelm: “I can’t believe I signed up to write a book. There’s no way I can do it in the middle of this stressful time.”

And I get it. But I also get how writing and publishing a book is a dream that most of them have lived with for many years. Maybe that’s true for you as well.

I wouldn’t be much of a coach if I let them—or you—off the hook!

At the same time, I don’t want to add to anyone’s stress. And it’s not easy or fun to write a book from a state of stress and overwhelm. Not even very productive. So how can we change the vibe and make this fun, empowering and successful?

Here’s some of the advice I’ve been giving my Bring Your Book to Life^® Program participants in our private calls:

Revise your goal: Okay, so you realized you can’t write a whole first draft in 8 weeks. What is realistic? Set a goal that feels do-able or you’ll be in inner conflict before you even start. Writing three quarters, or even half, of a first draft is an excellent start. Does that work?
Try different times: Several people found that the time they scheduled to write didn’t work for them. Early morning writing sessions got bumped by work meetings in one case. Rethink your timing. Can you write during lunch hour? On the weekend? Just be sure to schedule those times and keep them sacred whenever possible.
Connection with your mission: One writer had several important reasons for writing her book and one of those was to capture her mother’s stories while she still has that opportunity. When work got too busy and overhelming she worried that she couldn’t write a book, so we “rethunk” priorities. What if she made interviewing her mom the priority? She could capture the interviews on audio and have them transcribed. Then if she didn’t have time for much writing, she’d still have the legacy of the recordings to use whenever she could make additional time for the book. And the opportunity to get her mom’s stories recorded for posterity and a possible book would not be lost.
Try the litmus test: Here’s the question I have everyone in class ask themselves whenever they are tempted to do something else instead of writing time or whenever a new opportunity comes up that they’re tempted to say yes to:

If I say “yes” to this, what does that mean for my book?

If the invitation conflicts with writing time, perhaps you can immediately reschedule the writing time. Or not—recommit to writing! Or perhaps you want to make the next few months a bit of a writing retreat and be more of a hermit. Good answers are, “Let me think about this and get back to you,” or “I’m working on a big project; can we look at this possiblity again in two or three months?”

[bctt tweet=”How to Think Inclusively to Get Your Book Written”]

It’s easy to get in the frame of mind that writing your book has to take away from other activites. But what if it doesn’t?

Does writing a book mean you have to ditch your friends or family? No, but it may mean spending less time together, inviting you to make the time you do spend together more meaningful. One writer realized she could include her kids in the interviews of their grandmother. This would create meaningful connection and memories for the whole family.

Working on a volunteer project? Perhaps you can find a way to contribute in a big way with less time. One year, a Bring Your Book to Life^® participant found and trained someone to replace her on the fundraising committee, helping the orgnaization to expand its volunteer base and freeing up her own time to make space for her book.

Prioritizing and writing your book offers an excellent opportunity for self growth. I often see people learn better boundary making (and keeping) in order to get their books written and published. That may mean setting boundaries with people who drain their time and energy by complaining or fighting. This newfound gift of boundary setting becomes a skill for life, well beyond the book’s writing and publishing.

What challenges are coming up for you? What can you do to overcome them?

Writing a Book: 5 Tips to Overcome Overwhelm

September 15, 2020 by Lisa Tener

How to overcome overwhelm is on my mind because….

Okay, I’m sure you can guess. I occasionally slide into overwhelm in preparing for my January launch for my book titled…well…it doesn’t have a title yet.

So, that right there feels like…

Nope, not gonna go there. Breathe, Lisa.

Okay, from the trenches, 5 Tips to Overcome Overwhelm

Breathe: Reset your brain and body with a nice deep, abdominal breath.
Prioritize Self-care: I have to slap my hand sometimes as it reaches for the keyboard. Qigong or a walk in nature. Then email. What’s your biggest slip up and what’s your self-care superpower?
Prioritize Tasks and Pick the Most Important: Do you try to take on too much in a day? Get distracted? I do. And the thing that serves me best is to figure out the one thing that’s most important to get done that day. True confession: Still working on it. I have trouble keeping my daily to-do list to one page. And some days I forget to consult it. Slowly, I’m getting better at a shorter list.
Stay Focused: Turn off your phone, ignore email. Don’t get distracted by other work.
Take Breaks: Breaks, however, are not a distraction. Self-care breaks like movement, deep breathing or time in nature can keep you energized and sharpen your mind.

I’m keeping the post short today so you can get back to your writing priorities and I can return my attention to book titles and editing.

Enjoy the day and stay focused, keep calm, and carry on!

Life, Writing and Presence Amidst the Holiday Mayhem

December 18, 2019 by Lisa Tener

[bctt tweet=”Presents or Presence: Writing and Life in the Holiday Mayhem #creativity #writingworkshop” username=”LisaTener”]

A couple of weeks ago, my office looked like this:

And my kitchen table looked like this:

Can you relate? If not to the mess, at least to the feeling of overwhelm that comes with it during the holidays? Especially if you’re also working on writing a book!

I’d scheduled with Jess for an extra cleaning/organizing day that week–one to do her usual house cleaning and the second to address and stuff holiday envelopes, wrap and pack gifts (and the all important labeling due to my messy handwriting), and help make those surfaces (table, desk, floor) visible once again.

Only it snowed and she got a bug.

But enough “poor me.” I wasn’t the one with the holiday bug. I decided to feel grateful to be healthy.

Still, I dreaded those envelopes and gifts to wrap.

Last Year’s Baggage

I looked at the box of half finished holiday cards from 2018 that I couldn’t bring myself to toss, a project abandoned when my dad passed away. Um, why was I saving those cards?

This year, I vowed I’d send every card, and not just so I didn’t have to look at them in my closet for the rest of 2020.

Yet, the prospect of wrapping, addressing, envelope stuffing and stamping with no assistance overwhelmed me.

From Dread to Fed

I rushed through labeling and stamping, some stamps and labels going on crooked, as I worked through the first page of labels. I wrote “Happy Hanukkah” “Merry Christmas” or “Happy New Year” on the back of our family card in metallic green ink. Pretty but time consuming. And how meaningful was it, really?

And then something happened.

I paused as I read the next label. I thought about Kelly Attonito whose kids I’ve never met, though they live just one state over. I thought of the gratitude I felt for her in sharing an opportunity for a business school scholarship years ago. I found it remarkable that she’d lower her odds by sharing with others. Yet her generosity worked out well for her when we both won $4,000 scholarships from Digital Equipment Corporation, an expansive lesson for me.

Elizabeth Tener painting — My mom loved to paint in winter and capture the raw trunk and branches of trees amidst the snow.

I thought of Carol Goodman, one of my mom’s oldest friends and a fellow artist who attended Parsons with her. I thought of the beautiful silk scarves she taught mom to make and how mom taught us to pin the silk on a frame and experiment with color.

That memory led me to the many artistic activities my mom shared with us–making cut out paper dolls and clothes with just a few colored pencils, plain paper and a pair of scissors; picking wildflowers and coming home to paint them in a bouquet at our kitchen table; creating raku pottery and silver jewelry in the crafts program at Fundy National Park when we were kids. I felt closest to my mom when we shared artistic endeavors. We got to enter mom’s world.

I fed my soul with my recollections.

Writing and the Gift of Presence

I realized then that doing the job on my own afforded me the luxury of taking my time and thinking about each person or family, what I love about them, lessons they taught me. I thought about clients that I continue to stay in touch with, as I wrote their cards. Such an abundance of goodness in these relationships.

I may not have written much on each card, but I prepared each one with love and gratitude.

I gave myself the gift of presence.

As a writer, sometimes I try to rush through the writing when I feel overwhelmed. Write about this thing I took notes for, or this next item in my outline.

And that’s when the writing stinks!

One has to slow down and be present to write. Sure, sometimes the writing comes fast and furious and you’re taking dictation as fast as you can. But even then, it’s likely to start with a moment of presence before the flow begins.

A Creative Shift

I used this insight for my own creative shift and wrote a few short pieces that may go into my book or blog post.

Tonight, I’m teaching a bonus class to book proposal course participants where we’ll be doing just this: cultivating a sense of presence, taking a few deep breaths and writing in community from a place of “presence.”

I’m so grateful to be writing amidst the busyness and hoopla of the holidays! My creative Muse feels fed!

My Holiday Wishes for You

In the midst of this busy time of year, I hope you make time for your creative spirit. Slow down. Enjoy. Write.

book heart — Photo by Eleonora Albasi on Unsplash

And as we look to 2020, I hope wish you a year of magnificence: Finding your voice as a human and a writer, honoring your wisdom and message by writing, enjoying the fruits of your labor:

grateful comments from your blog or book readers
inspiration from your muse
a book deal
whatever and all your heart desires!

My Gift for You as a Writer

I’ve been experimenting with some fun, creative material from the book I’m working on.

I added a few bonus group calls for Fast Track Your Book Proposal course participants in which we practiced some of the exercises in my book and then spent time writing.

Several wrote me the next day to say how much they loved the format and how it opened up their writing, generated new perspectives in writing their books, freed them to be more creative.

And so, to start 2020, I invite you to a free call on January 2 at 8;30 pm ET, 5:30 pm PT where all we’ll do is breathe, play and write together.

FREE TO WRITE

WHAT? A FREE online workshop by ZOOM conference call
WHEN? January 2, 2020 at 8:30 pm ET
HOW? Press the orange button below and register! Instructions will immediately appear!

If you’ve been looking for the inspiration and a little push to get going on your book, or to reignite your writing, or want to set a vision for the new year and decade, this is your golden ticket.

Comment below if you plan to join me. Schedule it now in your 2020 calendar and I’ll see you on January 2!

When You Commit To Writing a Book, Other Projects Will Call: How Will You Answer?

September 24, 2018 by Lisa Tener

Commit to Writing a Book!

You commit to writing a book. You feel jazzed. You’re inspired. The birds seem to sing a little sweeter. There’s a lift in your step. And then…

Soon, you’re tested.

Suddenly, new and exciting opportunities come knocking at your door.

And you may want to answer, but don’t jump in too quickly. Remind yourself that you committed to writing your book. Ask yourself, “If I say yes to this, what does it mean for my book?” And then decide. Perhaps there’s a way to put the new opportunity off for a few months, or to take something else off your plate (not your book, though)!

These opportunities can be anything from a new client, a new project to an invitation to a party Friday night. Whatever it is, before saying yes, always ask how a yes will affect your book and your commitment to writing a book.

If you are sure you want to accept the invitation and the invitation conflicts with writing time, perhaps you can immediately reschedule your writing time. Or perhaps you want to make the next few months a bit of a writing retreat and be more of a hermit—saying no to any and all distractions! Deeply re-commit to writing a book.

You get to choose. Choose wisely. Either can work, as long as you continue to prioritize your book overall.

6 Strategies to Commit to Writing a Book—and Stick With It

Here 6 strategies to commit to writing a book and keeping it a top priority:

When someone asks you to do anything (volunteer, help them out, take on a new project), stall with, “I’ll need to think about that. Can I tell you tomorrow/later today/in a few days?” Then ask the question above. “If I say yes to this, how will it affect my book?”
Check your inner GPS: Imagine yourself doing that activity or taking on that project. How does it feel to say yes? How will it impact your book? What does it feel like as you imagine the impact on your book? Now try it the other way. How does it feel to say no? To make your book writing your number one priority?
Schedule your writing sessions in your calendar for specific dates and times. If something comes up, think about whether it’s worth going off schedule. If it is, reschedule for another time immediately and put that in your calendar.
Find a person or group to be accountable to. Check in daily, weekly or at scheduled times. We do this in my writing programs, along with 5 simple questions to stay on track. It works like magic.
Give yourself rewards after you’ve completed your writing commitment for the day—a walk outdoors, a chat with a friend, a show on Netflix.
Join a book writing class! One thing I love about a class is the sense of community. You’re not going it alone. In fact, everyone benefits from the sense of momentum we build up as a group. And I just happen to have a class coming up. How about that?! In fact, it’s not to early to be thinking about my premiere book writing program. While classes begin in February, you can get started on the pre-work any time (including a private book concept consultation with me). Feel free to email me to explore.

I’ve seen people make that commitment and complete their book, in first draft form, in months, or even weeks. And I’ve seen aspiring authors make that commitment and then get side-tracked my bright and shiny objects. Those two outcomes feel very different inside!

Even new opportunities that look like answered prayer should be evaluated carefully. You don’t have to rush into a “no” either. Take your time to decide and prioritize.

What do you do to keep your commitment to writing? Any suggestions for fellow readers of this blog?

And here are some tips for writing productivity, once you get started.

Are You an Expert or an Authority? An Interview with Author Rusty Shelton

September 13, 2018 by Lisa Tener

Are You an Authority?

Last November, during a conversation over lunch during Harvard Medical School’s leadership course for women in healthcare, my long-time friend and colleague–and my publicist of over a dozen years–shared ideas with me about what it means to be an authority in one’s field. And why it matters.

This is the subject of his Rusty’s latest book, Authority Marketing, co-authored with Adam Witty and with a foreword by Steve Forbes. We continued the conversation over email that I might share his insights with readers of this blog, published and aspiring nonfiction authors.

Lisa: What’s the distinction between expert and authority? What does it mean to be an authority?

Rusty: It’s incredibly hard to become an expert, as those who have earned their M.D., financial advisory certification or other distinguished degree know. But the reality is that there are more than 400,000 doctors and more than 300,000 financial advisors in the United States. That degree puts you in rarified air but when I go to pick a doctor, dentist or financial advisor, I have a lot of choices and for those looking to drive impact, leads or both, it’s hard to stand out among such numbers.

Authority marketing is combining stand-out expertise with targeted, meaningful visibility that pulls someone out of that commoditized “expert” space and positions them as a visibility thought leader (what we call an authority).

Lisa: And how does one do that?

Rusty: We’ve identified seven pillars of Authority Marketing and they include:

[bctt tweet=”The 7 Pillars of Authority Marketing ” username=”LisaTener”]

Branding – Do you have a differentiated brand that positions you as an authority? This often starts with a home base website that showcases a mission-driven brand (what’s your cause?) and re-markets media coverage, speaking experience and even a book to build authority by association.
Lead Generation/Audience Creation – Once you have a differentiated brand in place, the next step is driving engagement with that brand. The best way to do this is by integrating earned media (PR, speaking, referrals, a book, etc.), rented media (social media, advertising, etc.) and owned media (your website, blog and email list) to give yourself leverage to spread your message and/or grow your business.
Content Marketing – In our book, Mastering the New Media Landscape: Embrace the Micromedia Mindset, we argue that we have entered the age of “Micromedia” in which every individual and brand is a media outlet – whether they know it or not. Success in today’s media landscape means thinking more like the media than a marketer, which is why smart understand they have the same power the media does – to build an audience that looks to them (via a blog, podcast, etc.) as the best source of entertaining and informative content in their topic area.
Publicity –This is the most sought-after form of earned media for a reason – it provides more immediate authority to you than just about anything available. At the same time, the limiting factor of PR is that someone else has to say “yes” for you to reach an audience, be that a producer, editor or blogger. But even though this category doesn’t give you long-term leverage, it’s an important component for any expert looking to make the jump to authority.
Speaking – Some argue that speaking is just as powerful an authority-builder as publicity and it’s incredibly important for experts who want to be viewed as thought leaders. To become a visible, successful speaker you must brand yourself as one (even before you may consider yourself “keynote” quality). Think about it – if I get to your website and can’t find a picture of you on stage or access comments from recent audiences, am I really going to think you’re a fit for my conference?
Events – There is some crossover between this category and speaking but it is a separate pillar because events also include those you own, from open houses to virtual events (webinars and beyond). Events provide significant authority and value to your audience.
Referral Marketing – Most experts rely only on this category to grow their influence, impact and business, believing that “if I do great work – opportunities will come my way.” There’s no question that you can’t be an authority unless you “have the goods” (meaning that you actually do great work) but the limiting factor of sitting back and waiting on referral is that you don’t have any control over lead generation or audience/impact growth – you have to wait on someone else to talk about you. So, while this is a very important piece of the puzzle – it’s just one of seven pillars.

Lisa: You’ve been in book PR a long time and over time your focus has shifted a bit from just books to this concept of full-service Authority Marketing. Can you say more about why it’s an important strategic perspective for you and your clients?

Rusty: We still do a lot of PR work at Zilker Media but the reality is that PR is just one (very important) piece of the puzzle in today’s media landscape. Our clients need us to have a plan in place to integrate earned, rented and owned media so that the media interview they do or the article they write drives people toward meaningful action that either grows their impact, markets their book or builds their business. Specifically, we have found that driving audiences toward a free quiz or assessment (interactive content) is the best way to provide value and engagement around a cause. Booking the interview is in fact just the first step and those who end the work there are leaving a lot of value untapped.

It’s All About the Book

Lisa: When we saw each other last year at the Harvard Medical School course for women in healthcare leadership, you mentioned that for women in healthcare, and leadership in general, you’ve seen books as the biggest way these women have “moved the dial” in terms of their authority in their field. Can you say more about why that is and what you mean?

Rusty: Right or wrong, in our culture we assign almost an irrational amount of authority to someone who has written and published a book. A book legitimizes ideas, establishes thought leadership, provides prestige and allows someone to communicate their message at scale. It also makes each of the seven pillars above much easier to do. Here’s a snapshot of that:

Brand – When I arrive at someone’s website I may not know who they are, but as soon as I see their name on the front of a book I immediately assign authority to them (authority by association)
Lead Generation/Audience Creation – A book is a great way to build an audience and drive lead flow.
Content Marketing – A book is perhaps the most tangible and iconic form of content marketing thanks to its staying power (no one discards a book).
Publicity – A book makes getting publicity much easier.
Speaking – A book legitimizes a speaker and provides a great takeaway for audience members.
Events – A book launch is a great reason to host an event, be it a book signing or webinar.
Referral Marketing – Giving away your book to your biggest fans provides them the easiest and most comfortable way to refer you.

Lisa: Yes, I can think of so many examples of all seven pillars working for my clients with their books. What are some of the changes you’ve seen in the PR landscape over the past year or two? Where should authors and experts be putting their energy?

[bctt tweet=”Changes in the PR Landscape: Where to Put Your Energy ” username=”LisaTener”]

Rusty: Wow, where should I start? I think the biggest opportunity for authors and experts is the magic of using a quiz or assessment to drive engagement, education and growth of their email list. I call this quiz marketing and have been so convinced by the success of client quizzes in recent years that I joined with a few partners recently to build Catch Engine, which is a software platform for those who want to feature a quiz or assessment on their website.

When it comes to email growth, lead magnets typically fall into one of three categories:

Old faithful – “Click here to sign up for news and updates” (this converts at a horrific rate)
Gift marketing – “Click here to download my free e-book or whitepaper” (this converts well if you’re well known and poorly otherwise)
Interactive content – “Click here to see how confident you are – take the confidence quiz” (177,000 people have taken this quiz over the past three years – and counting)

Our system, Catch Engine, is great but whatever software system you use – there’s nothing I can say that will be more impactful for your audience than considering adding interactive content to their website – it will make an immediate impact.

Lisa: Now that Facebook and Twitter are tending to require payment for ads for most posts to show up, is it still beneficial to be on those platforms? What are the considerations? How much time and effort should one put into those platforms? What can one expect?

Rusty: The decline in organic visibility (non-paid reach) across social media has been a wake up call to many and serves as an important reminder that your social media channels are “rented media.” In other words, when you build an audience on your Facebook page, LinkedIn profile, Twitter account, etc – you’re building an audience on real estate you don’t own, which means you can only reach that audience at the behest of the owner of that real estate (which gives them all the leverage).

Lisa: I agree wholeheartedly. It makes me nervous when I work with an aspiring author, and authority, and all their engagement is on facebook, for example, and not their website or blog.

Rusty: That doesn’t mean I don’t recommend actively using social media – it just means that you have to always be focused on doing two things:

Delivering great value with entertaining and/or informative content
Giving those you reach a reason to leave that social media channel and head to your website so you can “own” the connection to them once they join your email list.

I should also add that a smart, well-targeted Facebook advertising campaign is one of the best possible ways money can be spent in a marketing campaign…with one caveat – the call to action or lead magnet must actually give value (hint: a great quiz!).

Lisa: In our conversation over lunch you encouraged me to blog or write articles on LinkedIn. Can you say more about that strategy for our blog readers, to help them with their platform and authority?

Rusty: You’ve been doing a great job of extending your content over to LinkedIn – I always enjoy it! LinkedIn has recently opened up the ability for anyone to publish “long-form” content on their platform. That means you can have a blog within your LinkedIn profile and, once you start posting, LinkedIn opens up the ability for you to build a separate audience from your more formal connections – followers. One way LinkedIn is encouraging its members to post long-form content is by giving sizable organic reach to such posts. So, we have a window in time right now where your readers can get extra value by contributing content there.

Lisa: What are some visibility and authority strategies that are working especially well for your clients right now? (examples would be great and we can link).

Rusty: I have talked so much in this post about quiz-marketing – let me link to a few of our most successful quizzes:

book by writing coach lisa tener — My first book helped me be seen as an authority on book writing and publishing, not even the topic of the book itself (an unintended consequence as well!).

Lisa: Thanks, Rusty. It sounds to me like some of the biggest takeaways are, if you want to stand out as an authority (for all the benefits you mentioned earlier):

a) Write a book (my favorite, of course).

b) Offer something engaging and valuable to people, like a quiz.

c) Use rented media, like social media, to bring people to your website, where you can offer them both a) and b)!

And I love your list of the 7 pillars. While I wholeheartedly recommend writing a book to many experts or those who have a message to share, I also encourage readers to think about the 7 pillars you mention. These are ways to reach people and have impact before you even complete your book, and they will help your book be successful!

[bctt tweet=”Join Us at Harvard! ” username=”LisaTener”]

Readers, Rusty and I will both be teaching at Harvard Medical School’s Career Advancement and Leadership Skills for Women in Healthcare this November. There, you can learn more from Rusty about Authority Marketing. Also, I’ll be teaching a workshop on honing your expert bio, as well as offering an advanced class on How to Write and Publish a Book to Support Your Mission and Work. The course sells out every year, so be sure to register early if you are interested!

How to Choose a Book Idea: Are You Writing the Right Book? 7 Ways to Be Sure

February 5, 2018 by Lisa Tener

Aspiring authors often wonder how to choose a book idea. Do you wonder whether you are “writing the right book”?

How to Choose a Book Idea

How can you tell if you’re writing the right book? What do you look for?

Your book concept should match your vision: Look at your vision or mission statement for your book. Would this particular book help you bring that vision to fruition?
Make sure you have the right audience: Are these the people you want to reach, that you feel called to work with?
Your book should be marketable, if one of your goals is to sell a good deal of books or get traditionally published: If those aren’t your goals, then marketability may not be as much of an issue.
Your book should feel fresh in some way: Do you share new research? Offer a fresh angle on a topic? Address an under-served market? Have a distinctive voice or unusual stories? Any of these can make a book fresh.
Does thinking about this book fill you with passion? You want to feel excited about your book.
Can you see yourself excited about this book a year from now? Two Years? Writing the book will take time. And once it’s published you’ll be promoting it. Ask yourself whether this topic will hold your interest long term.
How easy is this book to write? You don’t have to write the easiest of your book ideas, but do take it into consideration. Cutting your teeth on the easy book, the one that stems from what you know rather than crazy amounts of research, may just be the way to get it done and prepare yourself to write book number two!

[bctt tweet=”The Right Book May Be the Most Obvious Choice ” username=”LisaTener”]

I once worked with a executive who had three different book ideas to choose from. For the sake of simplicity, let’s call them easy, medium and lots-of-work-and-time.

The easy book was the obvious choice—it would easily help grow his business, showcasing his authority in his field. It was a much needed book and he had a lifetime of great information that boards, HR directors and hiring executives needed to know.

Why, then, would he consider a different book?

Sometimes we overlook our strengths and knowledge base. “If I know this, everyone must know it. It must be obvious.” Or, “I know this stuff. I’m bored of it.”

Plus, I think he felt a little concerned that writing about what he knew so well, he wouldn’t learn anything new. The difficult, time consuming book would take research and time and tons of sorting out, but he liked the idea of the challenge.

The book that stemmed completely from his experiences, knowledge base and skills, well, that felt a little old hat.

When we revisited his goals and vision, though, it became clear that the easy book made the most sense to write. He’d be writing the right book to align with his vision. It would do the most for his business and it would serve his clients the best, which was very important to him.

The funny thing was, he had a great time writing the easy book. His stories were funny, powerful and sometimes a wild ride. He enjoyed word play and finding the perfect phrase. The more he wrote, the more fun he had. And, in my Bring Your Book to Life Program, another participant came up with a fabulous title, which branded his work perfectly.

His book attracted a traditional publisher and book deal.

So, don’t overlook the book idea that seems easy, or obvious, or old hat. It just may be that by choosing that one, you’re writing the right book, after all!

Ask any questions about how to choose a book idea and writing “the right book” as a comment below. By the way, I recently updated my post on How to Write a Great Book, which may be the perfect follow up for how to choose a book idea!