My New Book "How To Write A Book" (Draft)
Welcome to the first sneak peek of my next book for women called “How To Write A Book”!
After you read it, will you please share your feedback in this 3 minute survey? Thanks!!
Let’s Get Started
Is this book a little skinnier than you would expect a book about writing a book should be? I hope so!
Not only am I about to share with you my simple steps for writing a book, in these pages you’ll find writing tips from four graduates of my FemAuthors Program:
Felicia Yap, professional news anchor & reporter, videographer and Author of “Don’t Stay A Secret: Grow Your Confidence Creating Videos That Get Views.” (2022)
Tiana Fech, middle-school teacher, course creation expert, podcaster and Author of “Online Course Creation 101: A Step-By-Step Guide To Creating Your First Online Course.” (2022)
Carey Wilkinson Lee, ADHD Mindset Coach and Author of “How To Get Out of An Abusive Relationship With Yourself.” (2020)
Noreen Music, Productivity Mastery Coach, Owner of Organize My Space Calgary and Author of “The Unexpected Entrepreneur: Now You’re Here, Make A Difference While Making A Living.” (2022)
I’m gonna shoot you straight.
If you do not write this book your career will suffer and you will not have the impact on this world you are meant to.
It’s obvious you feel called to write a book. Otherwise you wouldn’t be holding this book in your hands right now.
In 2014 I hired a business coach after hearing him speak at an event. The first thing I learned from hearing him speak was that the stories he shared about his life were what made me feel a connection and ultimately what made me TAKE ACTION. This was because I could relate to many of the challenges he had faced and he had similar goals to mine. He was about ten years ahead of me in his career and had achieved some things I wanted for myself.
FACTS TELL.
STORIES SELL.
When he said on stage that he wrote a book, I immediately viewed him with higher regard. He became a bigger deal in my mind. Then he described the impact his book had on his career and I felt like he was talking directly to me - like there was no one else in the room. I remember feeling like, “Lyndsie, this is a step you need to take. This is a door that has opened for you. All you need to do is walk through it and you can enjoy all the success this man is describing and more on the other side.” It was like on Queen of The South when Teresa Mendosa’s future self appears in a white suit, looking all successful and rich, to help her make sense of an opportunity or course correction that was needed.
As I sat in that ballroom surrounded by 100 other Financial Advisors, I clearly saw a glimpse into my future. One day soon I would be on stage inspiring people to get out of their comfort zones so they could experience a more full life and bank account.
I knew that version of me was inside, waiting to take charge.
Would I have felt as compelled to hire the business coach had I not heard him share his life story for an hour before his “pitch”?
No. We can’t feel connected to someone we know very little about.
Every great piece of writing tells a story.
The best social media marketing posts, blogs and YouTube videos include a story. And the most impactful self-improvement or professional development books include tons of compelling, relatable stories.
Think back to your favourite books and podcasts - the ones that lit a fire under your butt or taught you life-changing lessons… what story comes to mind about each one?
It’s our job as entrepreneurs and writers to share stories from our personal lives to attract the right people - those who need what we are offering.
Telling people what to do and providing them with steps and stats does not evoke the emotional reaction required for making lasting positive change in your readers and clients.
That’s why I’ve included my most impactful stories and, more importantly, stories from four other “FemAuthors”: Felicia, Tiana, Carey and Noreen.
Chapter One:
Why you have to write this damn book!
While writing my first book so much magic happened before my book was even complete. The benefits that came post-publication were a bonus. Because I created and followed the marketing system coming in this book, I grew a huge email list, gained new clients, became an international speaker, and discovered new income streams.
As you reach higher and higher levels of success, certain people in your world (some you don’t even know) will try to pull you back into your comfort zone. It’s actually a sign that you are moving in the right direction, so when it happens, celebrate it and consider it a positive sign! We will talk about trolls/haters and negative family members and friends in the next chapter. For now all you need to know is that anyone sending you negative vibes or pushing their limiting beliefs on you is NOT ABOUT YOU.
Pure Marketing Gold
The marketing gold nuggets I found while writing my first book in 2016 are included in this book: six key principles to marketing success. Back then I never paid much attention to why my marketing efforts were resulting in hundreds of new LinkedIn followers and email subscribers. Thanks to a handful of local “Fempreneurs” who asked me to share my best marketing strategies, I reverse-engineered how I marketed my first book. Eventually I created a six week program and a workbook (it’s on Amazon too) called “Fempreneur Marketing School”.
The first two steps are building a like-minded accountability team (1), and using social media to strike up conversations with the right people (2). After I introduce you to these four lovely ladies, I’ll walk you through how to take these steps.
UP NEXT:
Tiana Fech answers your questions about how to write a book!
1. How did it feel to complete your book?
Completing my book felt unbelievable! It was something that I had wanted to do for a long time and, with the support of an awesome community, I made it happen. Holding a copy of my book in my hands made me feel an incredible sense of pride and accomplishment.
2. How did you celebrate the completion of your book?
I had the amazing opportunity to be a part of the FEMTalks event held at the ATB Entrepreneur Centre in Calgary, Alberta with 3 other incredible female authors and entrepreneurs. The event included networking, free copies of each of our books, a 20 minute talk from each of us about our areas of expertise, and refreshments, of course! There was even an after party held at a local pub! We had over 30 attendees at this event along with lots of positive energy, connections, and feedback. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to celebrate with such an amazing group.
During my presentation at this event, I asked the attendees to think about their answer to the question: Who is your favourite teacher and why does this person stand out for you? When we opened up the floor for key takeaways and questions, one woman shared who her favourite teacher was and that it happened to be the person that she was attending the event with! She talked about how her friend really took her under her wing when they started working together and how she continued to demonstrate care and interest in her life outside of the job itself. Her friend helped her to foster her passions and to build upon them. This was truly one of my biggest highlights and most touching moments from the event that day.
3. Tell us a story about one of the best connections you made because of your book and how it has helped your career.
One of the best connections that I made through writing my book is Felicia Yap, who is featured next in this book. Our shared author experience introduced us to one another. I hired Felicia to help me improve my video content for my podcast called The People Teaching People Podcast. We ended up having a great connection and attended a networking event for female entrepreneurs together. Felicia is an incredible heart-centred business owner (and mom of three!) and I look forward to continuing to learn from her, supporting her with her business in any way that I can, and growing our friendship. I am thrilled that she agreed to be a guest on an upcoming episode of my podcast!
4. How is your business different now that you’re an author? Do you use the book as a tool in your business? Does it save you time? Please share a story or two about how your book has improved your business.
My book has become my ‘above and beyond’ business card that I can gift, donate, sell and use as a tool for people to get to know me and how I can serve and support them. My book is not only on Amazon but it is also in a local Indigo store where I have an upcoming book signing scheduled! It has led to speaking opportunities at events and on podcasts, new business connections, referrals, and new clients. I send each of my small business clients a copy of my book which allows us to use our time together more efficiently because it serves as a reference guide and workbook for the development of their online (or in-person) learning experience.
I use a relationship-centred approach in the work that I do as a learning development consultant helping businesses create courses and optimize programs. I believe that both education and business are truly all about relationships. Becoming an author has proved to be an incredible way to build relationships and my business network. I have had people share with me, through conversation and on social media, how they have gifted my book to their friends and clients. I have had people reach out to me to let me know how much my book has helped them with developing their learning experiences. I have also had clients hire me to work with them one-on-one as a consultant as a result of them being ‘introduced’ to me through my book!
5. How is your personal life different now that you’re an author? Please share a story or two about awesome things that have happened because of your book.
As a mom of three boys, life can be a bit of a juggle. I am always looking for ways to work as efficiently as possible so that I can be present and engaged with my family. My book has proved to be a tool to do just that because it allows me to support my clients with more ease. I can easily reference pages and chapters of my book when clients ask questions and I can also have them refer to sections prior to our one-on-one sessions so that we can truly make the most of our time together.
Becoming an author has also resulted in my kids seeing their mom have an idea and a dream and then making it happen. I felt a huge sense of pride taking my family into Indigo and showing them my book on the bookshelf! I hope that it inspires them to take action and to live their dreams even if they seem scary, challenging, and beyond the realm of possibility.
6. What was one of the most difficult parts of writing a book? Please share the story of what happened and how you overcame this challenge.
The most difficult part of writing a book was getting started. It seemed like such a daunting, overwhelming, impossible goal. I remember thinking that life was busy enough and how would I be able to find the time in my schedule to write a book!? Of course, we make time for the things that are important to us. This meant that I had to make writing my book a priority. The first thing that I did was join an accountability group. The FEMAuthors group led by Lyndsie Barrie included an incredible group of women who each shared the common goal of writing and self-publishing a book. At our first session Lyndsie had us brainstorming and idea generating. She encouraged us to think about frequently asked questions and reach out to our community for their feedback on the topics they would want to read about in our book. Slowly but surely I developed an initial outline. I took my outline and created a timeline for myself with completion dates for each chapter of my book, editing, cover design, and submission to Amazon. I scheduled writing time into my calendar and made it a non-negotiable appointment and not something that I could bump to the bottom of the list, or pardon the pun, write off. As I worked away at my book, there were times where I got stuck. In these moments, I made sure to reach out to my accountability group, community, and family and friends for help, advice, and direction. Slowly but surely, one word at a time, one sentence at a time, one paragraph at a time, my book went from an idea in my head to completion!
Tiana’s Top 5 Tips for completing a book:
Block off time. I had to be intentional about creating time and space in my schedule to write my book. I had to make it a priority.
Find accountability buddies. Being connected with a group of people who were also writing a book helped me to stay committed to my end goal and provided an incredible source of motivation and inspiration.
Just start writing. Getting started was the hardest part. I looked back at my previous social media posts, podcast show notes, workshops, blog posts, client projects etc. to generate ideas and get the juices flowing. You don’t have to start from scratch!
Reach out to your community. I asked my people questions to find out what they wanted to know or to learn more about in my book. I reflected on the FAQs asked by my clients and community. This provided great inspiration and direction for my book. And when I hit a roadblock with writing, organizing, editing, designing my book cover, or really anything along the way, I reached out to my community. Not doing this would have made it really easy to stay stuck and not get my book out into the world.
Talk about your book. When I shared that I was writing a book and put it out into the world, it felt more real and made me feel even more committed to bringing it to fruition. It was also an opportunity to take my community along the journey of writing my book with me because ultimately, it was for them!
Lyndsie here again!
I hope you enjoyed this draft excerpt from my upcoming book!
If you want to write a book, TIME is going to be your greatest challenge. That’s why I hold writing retreats that include everything - delicious food, writing workshops, teamwork, accountability and uninterrupted writing time. Learn more:
