{"id":4272,"date":"2011-06-23T11:53:14","date_gmt":"2011-06-23T16:53:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lisatener.local\/?p=4272"},"modified":"2024-09-30T09:00:38","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T13:00:38","slug":"how-to-write-a-self-help-book-what-readers-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/2011\/06\/how-to-write-a-self-help-book-what-readers-expect\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write a Self-Help Book: What Readers Expect"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"book<\/a>
Your Book Writing Coach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I’m teaching an informal book writing teleseminar this summer for Bring Your Book to Life graduates who are editing their first drafts and a few beginners. One person who wants to turn her workshops into a book asked what readers might be expecting<\/strong> and how to form her workshops into a book that truly resonates for her readers.<\/p>\n

Here’s my answer–and your glimpse into your readers’ minds and hearts<\/strong>. Your readers are asking:<\/p>\n

1. What pain <\/strong>or problem <\/strong>will\u00a0this book help me solve<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

2. What results\/benefits <\/strong>can I expect?<\/p>\n

3. Why are you the person<\/strong> who can help me with this?<\/p>\n

\"writing<\/a>
Imagine your reader in your mind's eye. What do they think? Feel? Need? Want? Give it to them. Photo: David Donohue http:\/\/www.fotosbydavid.com\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. Help me overcome any obstacles <\/strong>or objections (“It’s too hard,” “I can’t do this,” etc.).<\/p>\n

5. Give stories\/examples<\/strong> throughout to illustrate, make it real for me, help me apply it to my life and show me that you have experience (i.e. establish credibility).<\/p>\n

6. Show me how I can achieve this (a plan, exercises, steps<\/strong>, etc.).<\/p>\n

7. Help me trust <\/strong>you.<\/p>\n

8. Speak my language<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"how<\/a>
Make your book fun for your readers. Maybe even be playful. Photo: Erica Collins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

9. Give examples <\/strong>I can relate <\/strong>to.<\/p>\n

10. Make it straightforward<\/strong>, provide clarity <\/strong>and a sense of ease<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

11. Give me confidence<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

12. Make it creative, inviting <\/strong>or fun <\/strong>(or all three!).<\/p>\n

Ask your questions or share ideas as a comment below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m teaching an informal book writing teleseminar this summer for Bring Your Book to Life graduates who are editing their first drafts and a few beginners. One person who wants to turn her workshops into a book asked what readers might be expecting and how to form her workshops into a book that truly resonates…  Read more<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[50,1678,1,15,27],"tags":[98,993],"class_list":{"0":"post-4272","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-book-writing-class","7":"category-how-to-write-a-book","8":"category-more","9":"category-organizing-a-book","10":"category-writing-challenges","11":"tag-how-to-write-a-how-to-book","12":"tag-how-to-write-a-self-help-book","13":"entry"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4272"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4272\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":279325,"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4272\/revisions\/279325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jodieburdette.net\/lisatener\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}