Book Coaching can Help Authors Avoid Costly Mistakes

Maybe you are thinking about getting help with your book project. Maybe you wonder if it’s worth it. Whatever form that coaching takes, it is worth it. A book coach can help you save time, frustration, and money down the drain because you will stop book writing, publishing, and promotion mistakes before they start.

Here’s 11 Common Author Mistakes and How to Solve Them

One. Emerging authors don’t know their book’s purpose. Answer the question why are you are writing it? For fame, fortune? To answer a challenge? To brand your business and make money? To entertain?

Two. Emerging authors don’t know who is their preferred audience (it’s not everyone, what their preferred audience wants (as in solutions for a challenge), or where to reach them so the promotion and marketing dollars spend will bring a high Return on Investment (ROI). This is the most common and costly mistake, because a general audience is much harder to write for (you must include each audience in each chapter), and harder to market and promote. Your audience is all important in social media too.

Remember, it’s always best to write the book your audience wants rather than write a book and hope others will buy.

Three. Many emerging authors are afraid to invest money (not spend, because the payoffs are at least 5-1) for coaching. They may lack trust in what a book coach can do for them. That is an online phenomenon, so be sure to check out your possible book coach’s website. Does she give good free content that helps you? Does she give ways to sample her coaching at a low cost? In one short interactive phone session, you can ask questions before you decide to move toward ongoing coaching.

Four. New authors think they need to write a print book of 200 plus pages, need an agent and a publisher. But today’s audience is online and wants a short book with just the key points. They want their challenges solved. They want easy-to-read. They don’t need so many stories because their reading time is limited. They want information fast and easy. They will be happy to buy and print out a short electronic book under 100 pages, and as long as they get answers, they don’t care who your publisher is.

Five. Emerging authors leap into an introductory chapter all about THEIR story. You audience wants what you can do for them first. If you use your story, interweave it with your copy that engages your reader by using the format “YOU.”

Six. Writers don’t realize they need to write the easiest chapter first. If they pick a difficult one, they get stuck fast, and either give up or go on to more research.

Seven. Emerging authors think they need to research a lot. Really, what you know is already in you about one particular topic. Make a short list of questions on one topic for each chapter of your book. Then, answer them. Now you have part of the middle of your chapter. Research usually tells, and your readers want to be included, not told. .

Eight. Both emerging and professional authors write on and on without giving their reader a break or a reason to read on. Get your readers to turn pages and keep turning to finish when you put benefit-driven headlines up in your non-fiction work. Use a hook after each headline to pull readers along. Ask a question or two to include them about where they are now with this particular challenge.

Nine.  Authors forget to use a hook at the beginning of the chapter and after each heading. They launch on telling their reader all kinds of info they didn’t set the reader up to want.

You the author must motivate your reader to keep reading to finish each chapter. Then, the whole book. Now, you have your strong 24/7 sales team to give good “word-of-mouth.”

Ten. Authors don’t realize a hook includes a few questions about where your audience is now. Or, some wild facts that affect your reader. After the hook, let your reader know the benefits of reading the chapter.

Eleven. Non-fiction authors forget to put a finish on the end of the chapter. Maybe action steps. But always a last paragraph that gives the reader a reason to turn to the next chapter. Remember benefits sell.

Most clients tell me that they receive the value of the coaching costs and more when they get coaching, because their book is much more saleable.

Check out my 1/2 hour breakthrough book coaching to get insight on how our partnership can greatly help you with your book project.

Published on March 12, 2010 at 11:06 AM by Judy Cullins

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(C) 2012 Judy Cullins. Skills Unlimited Publishing.