As an aspiring author, when you flick through any book on your bookshelf, you may get a sense that holding your own book in your hands is far far away. Maybe you can’t imagine it at all because it’s such a remote reality. Unattainable, even.
Books
Should You Self-Publish Your Book?
Have you ever had a business coach suggest what to do and resisted it so hard?
That was me when I went on a business retreat in 2015 and was told I needed to niche.
Why Do You Want To Be An Author?
For the whole of 2017, I had an ankle injury. It would come and go, on and off, but it more or less hung around for the whole year.
At the same time, on my goals list was the desire to perform on stage.
What’s Your Story?
Story is a human need. It’s how generations pass down their wisdom. It’s how cultures can translate. It’s how nations find commonality and realise they can be allies not enemies. It’s how individuals relate and know they are not alone, outsiders, outcasts.
What Problem Does Your Book Solve?
The friend who girlfriends come to as a shoulder to cry on because not only do you make them feel better about what’s going on for them but they walk away with a solution to their problem, an antidote for their heartbreak?
You, my friend, are the perfect author.
Who Is Your Book For?
Imagine for a sec that your book is a piece of communication. You have some info and you want to share it. That’s communicating, right?
If Your Non-Fiction Book Doesn’t Solve a Problem, There’s No Point Writing It
“At the centre of every book is this formula: ask a question; go on an exploration to find an answer; find an answer; and from that answer, ask a new question” ~ Mattie Bamman
Why Do You Need To Write This Book Right Now?
Your book has a soul. It’s an entity in its own right. And connecting into what it is and what it’s not is essential to writing a convincing book that takes off and takes on a life of its own.
Is Your Book Idea The One? – Eight Questions To Ask Yourself About The Book You Want To Write
So here I am on this writing retreat in Auckland, New Zealand. I’ve been writing all day and I need to go get some fresh air. There’s a park nearby that I decide to venture. […]
Editing As A Creative Experience
I’ve long known that what I do day-to-day is creative. But honestly, I didn’t think anyone else realised that. Because of the old cliché that I hear all the time.
Editors are all about fixing your grammar, right?
Ugh.
All Words Are Not Created Equal
Some words say more than others. Some words evoke more than others.
Whereas some words dumb down or generalise, others conjure visions so detailed that a mere utterance doesn’t do justice to the insight you gain.
We Are All The Famous Author On The $1 Table
Wayne Dyer.
Bill Bryson.
Deepak Chopra.
Caroline Myss.
AA Gill.
What do these famous authors have in common?
Multiple titles, sure.
Substantial books sales, check.
Earning money from their writing, undoubtedly.
But the one thing you might not realise they have in common is not so much an element of their incredible success, but rather a decaying element of it.
Anatomy Of Your Self-Published Non-Fiction Book
It’s a well-worn cliché that editors are nit-picking and finicky, pedantic and scrutinising, but I’ve never related to that demand to be the person who provides rigid boundaries in which to write.
Book Lust: ‘Now, Discover Your Strengths’ by Marcus Buckingham
To be honest, when I unwrapped it from its Amazon box, I discarded it in favour of some other brighter, funkier, sexier front covers (yes, Ms LaPorte, I’m looking at you). But, oh my, when I read it…