When you’re just getting started, making the decision to write a book is the easy part. What the heck do you do next? It’s a big journey to go from “this is something I want to do” to writing an actual book. So, to help you start writing your book, I’ve put together a list of the first steps you should take on your journey to becoming an author. The steps: Find Your Why Figure Out What Your Book is About Find Your Book’s Positioning Find Your Reader Path Write an Outline Write Your Book! Need more help planning your book? Free 5-Step Guide to Creating Your First Book Book: How to Write a Wellness Book (adaptable to any niche)

Blogger to Author

Start Writing Your Book: Your First Steps

You've made the smart choice to hire an editor for your book. Now comes the tricky part: finding the perfect person to edit your book. It can be overwhelming to find the right book editor who will take care of your baby and make it the best book possible. Here, you'll learn how to find a book editor for your manuscript who will help you transform it into a book readers will absolutely love. Inside this episode you’ll find: Why you should hire a book editor A rundown of the different types of editing Where to look to find the perfect book editor How to choose the right editor from a shortlist of options How much it costs to hire a professional editor Whether amateur editors are a good idea (like your BFF with an English degree) Show notes: bloggertoauthor.com/122

How to Find a Book Editor

I'm going to be completely honest with you: I totally winged it when I wrote my first book, Yoga for Runners. I had an idea of what I wanted to write about and include in my book, but in terms of marketing and launching my book, I made a lot of common self-publishing mistakes. Here, I’ll share the biggest mistakes I made with my first book. I see other first-time authors making these errors a LOT, which keeps their books from being as successful as they could be. So, I want to share my biggest book blunders with you so hopefully you can avoid making them, too. Show notes: bloggertoauthor.com/121

The 10 Biggest Mistakes I Made with My First Book

Writing a book is hard work. You spend a lot of time typing away at your computer working to create the best book you can. You pour your heart and soul into your new book, working to fill your vision of a book that changes your readers' lives. When you're wrapped up in a book project, it can be so tricky to decide when it's time to stop and publish. When is it time to stop editing and let go? In this episode, I'll tell you the best way to know when your nonfiction book is done. I'll walk you through a process to help you decide whether you've written enough or you need to add more. Whether you're in a rush to finish writing your book or if you're so stuck on making it perfect that you can't stop editing, this episode will help you find your book's endpoint. Show notes: bloggertoauthor.com/120 Click here to take the Blogger to Author listener survey!

B2A #120: How Do You Know When You’re Done Writing Your Book?

Although NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) started out as a way for fiction authors to finish the first draft of a novel in a month, it's also a great way for nonfiction authors to write a book, too. If you've been thinking about writing your book but you haven't been able to actually write it, this is a great time of year to get writing! In this episode, I'm sharing my top resources to help you make your NaNoWriMo a big success. I'll tell you the steps that you should take to get ready. Then, I'll help you calculate how much writing you need to do every day to meet your goal of writing your book in a month. Finally, I end with a few tips to help you write efficiently so you can finish your book by the end of November. Show notes: bloggertoauthor.com/119

NaNoWriMo for Nonfiction Authors

Although NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) started out as a way for fiction authors to finish the first draft of a novel in a month, it's also a great way for nonfiction authors to write a book, too. If you've been thinking about writing your book but you haven't been able to actually write it, this is a great time of year to get writing! In this episode, I'm sharing my top resources to help you make your NaNoWriMo a big success. I'll tell you the steps that you should take to get ready. Then, I'll help you calculate how much writing you need to do every day to meet your goal of writing your book in a month. Finally, I end with a few tips to help you write efficiently so you can finish your book by the end of November. Show notes coming soon!

One of the major reasons why I have my podcast is to help my listeners avoid making the same mistakes I see so many others make with their self-published books. In this episode, I’m going to focus on one of the biggest mistakes that I think a business owner can make: writing the wrong book for your business. I’ve seen many authors (especially eBook authors) write a book that’s not really the best one to build their business strategically. I don’t want that to be you! So, in this episode, I’ll share a framework with you to help you find the best book (and book topic) for your business. I’m going to give you a series of questions that you should ask for yourself, your business, and your book to make sure that your book is going to have the maximum impact it can on your business. Follow this advice and you’ll understand how to write a book that really will help you grow your business. Show notes: bloggertoauthor.com/118

Are You Writing the Right Book for Your Business?

Many business owners are tempted to write a book because they see the potential for how that book can help them grow their business. But, sometimes they’re a little unsure exactly what that would look like, or exactly how a book is going to bring in more clients. They’re unsure of the ROI. That’s why I like to bring you stories from authors who have written and published books that really helped them take their businesses to the next level. That’s what I have for you in this episode. I am very thrilled and honored to be featuring an interview with business coach, expert, and #1 bestselling author Christine McAlister. Christine leveraged her self-published book, The Income Replacement Formula: Seven Simple Steps To Doing What You Love And Making Six Figures From Anywhere, to get more visibility, land more clients, and drastically increase her income, too. In our interview, we talk about her writing and publishing process and exactly how she used her book to grow her business and get more clients. You’ll also get some great tips for thinking strategically about your business-building book to make sure your book is successful. If you have a service-based business and you are either thinking about or are currently writing your book, you’re going to get a lot of great tips from this episode. And, I think it will really inspire you to see exactly how a book will help you get more clients and grow your business, which will motivate you to keep writing and actually publish your book. You’re going to get a lot out of this interview! Show notes: bloggertoauthor.com/117

Get More Clients with a Self-Published Book with Christine McAlister

What’s the secret sauce to writing a great nonfiction book? Having a plan for a book that brings about a true transformation in your reader’s life. Readers of nonfiction books aren’t looking for fluff—they’re looking to improve their lives in one way or another. If you can help them make a positive change and get closer to a goal or a way they want to live their life, they’re going to love you (and your book) for it. But how do you create that book plan? Today, I’m letting you in on a secret. I’m sharing the core components of my Fast Author Framework™, the process I take all of my private strategy and ghostwriting clients through to create a plan and outline for their books. I’ll walk you through the three steps that you should take to plan and write a great nonfiction book that your readers will absolutely love. If you’re struggling to get clarity on what you should put in your book, or if you’ve started writing but you’re unsure if readers will like your book, this episode will help. Show notes and transcript: bloggertoauthor.com/116

The 3 Steps You Must Take to Write a Great Nonfiction Book

So many writers get inspired for an idea for a book, so they jump in and start writing. I’m all about working off of inspiration, and if you have something to say, by all means, get those words on the page! But, I do think that when it comes to writing a book, it’s smart to do some planning before you get too far into your project. This is particularly true if you’re writing a book that you plan to leverage to grow your business. Before you even start on the outline for your book, you should do some thinking and planning. Just like a plumber would never start installing pipes without seeing a blueprint for a house, you need to have the right vision for your book if you want it to be successful. And, you really need to do some careful planning if you want that book to build your business. In this episode, I’m telling you all about the number one thing you need to know about your business-building book. Specifically, I’m going to help you formulate the right vision for your book so it has the biggest impact on your business. Doing this work will help you write a better book, and it will help you make sure you’re not wasting your time writing the wrong book for your business. Show notes and transcript: bloggertoauthor.com/115

The #1 Thing You Must Know About Your Business-Building Book

More and more infopreneurs and thought leaders are writing and publishing books. (Yes, bloggers, this includes you, too.) And, they’re doing it for good reason: a book is a great way to expand your authority, credibility, and visibility. It’s also a tool for building a business. In a world where potential clients spend just a few seconds looking at most of your content, a book is a unique opportunity to build a longer, deeper relationship. Unfortunately, many of those authors and authors-to-be make some big mistakes when they’re creating their books. I see so many of them spending time writing a book that isn’t the best complement to their business. Ultimately, their books aren’t as successful as they could have been. And, those books wind up having a much smaller impact on the author’s business. In this episode, I want to share the biggest mistakes I see infopreneur and thought leader authors make with their books (and, more specifically, their self-published books). If you’re writing or thinking about writing a book to build your business, I encourage you to listen carefully. Avoiding these mistakes will help you create a better book that will help you take your business to the next level. Show notes and transcript: bloggertoauthor.com/114

The Biggest Mistakes Infopreneur Authors Make

The Blogger to Author Podcast helps content creators plan, write, and publish books that help them build authority, credibility, and their businesses.