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. Th…

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 i…

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 o…

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…

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…

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…

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 hav…

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…

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 particul…

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…

I know many of you are working hard to build a coaching business. Your clients are getting great results, and you’re ready to reach a wider audience with your message. And, you want to help more people improve their lives or businesses through a mass-market product like a book. You can see how a book will help you build authority and visibility, bu…

Are you worried that your nonfiction book isn't any good? You’re not alone! One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, “How do I know if my book is any good?” I know that there’s a lot of fear that your book will be judged and that people won’t like it, especially if you’re self-publishing. But, luckily there are ways to make sure that re…

Self-publishing can be a bit of an enigma when you’re just getting started as an author. In recent years, self-publishing has exploded in popularity, and a lot of preconceived notions about self-publishing have come along with that surge in popularity. You may have heard that your favorite expert self-published a book and you assume that if you jus…

I know many of you listening are bloggers and content creators who are looking for a way to stand out in a crowded niche. I know firsthand how frustrating it is to spend hours every week producing amazing content for your audience but not seeing any real growth. That’s exactly where I was with my fitness blog before I self-published my first book. …

You’ve worked really hard to write an amazing book that’s going to completely wow your readers. Then, a really big question sneaks up on you…what are you going to call your book? How do you choose the right title that will instantly make readers want to buy your book and read it? Unfortunately, I see a lot of authors make some big mistakes when it …

My number one goal for the podcast is to make it easier for you to create an amazing, successful self-published book that helps you build your authority, credibility, and business. But, in order to write that book, you need to make sure it’s a book that people actually want to read. One way to do that is to talk with your audience and learn what th…

When it comes to writing and planning a book, many self-published authors skip an important step: doing the research that’s needed to make their book successful. But, spending a few hours doing a little basic research can really pay off—both figuratively and literally. Authors of high-quality books take the time to do their research and do it right…

I’m really excited for this episode because it’s my very first on-air coaching call I’m hosting on the Blogger to Author Podcast. I know that a lot of you have specific questions about your books, especially if you’re trying to plan out your book from scratch. Many of you have downloaded my free “5-Step Guide to Creating Your First Book” or my free…

You’ve got a great idea for a book. Maybe you’ve even started to outline or write your book. Then the fear starts to creep in. Just how much do you need to write to finish your book? How do you know when you’re “done” or if you need to write more? One of the most frequently asked questions I get is “How long should my book be?” I understand how fru…

Most nonfiction authors think that they need to go it alone. They see their book manuscripts as their babies, and they would never even think of hiring a nanny to help out. But, when you’re trying to run and grow a business, you don’t always have the time to write your book. You need some childcare for your baby book. You need someone to help with …

Writer’s block strikes fear into even the most seasoned writer. Nothing saps your confidence like sitting in front of a blank screen or piece of paper for what seems like eons, failing to come up with any words to fill it. And, unfortunately, writer’s block is incredibly common. Even professional writers have off days when they struggle to come up …

One of the biggest problems that I hear writers struggle with is not having time to write. This is particularly true for those of you who are also business owners and who are busy running your businesses, creating content, staying active on social media, and a dozen other things. When you’re trying to write a book but you’re crunched for time, it h…

I’m going to be honest with you for a minute. The publishing space is getting pretty crowded, especially in popular niches like business or health and wellness or even cookbooks. That means that your book is competing for attention with many other books out there. How do you get the attention of potential book buyers? How can you make your nonficti…

Sometimes, you need to take a break from your book. Maybe life got crazy and you simply didn’t have time to write. (It happens—don’t beat yourself up if you’ve needed to shift gears away from your book.) Or, maybe you just didn’t feel like writing for a while. Sometimes we get burnt out or overwhelmed or we just need a break from things. Again, it …

How successful can your self-published book really be? And, what do you actually need to do to create and market your book to reach that level of success? From the outside, it can be difficult to know what to expect from your self-published book. Will it be a total flop, or will you consistently sell copies? Will bookstores want to sell your book? …

It’s a fear that I think every author-to-be has at one point: you work your tail off to write and publish a book…and no one buys it. It’s terrifying to think that you could put so much effort into creating a book that readers don’t want to read. And, if you’re hiring editors, designers, or other professionals to help with the production of your boo…

So, you’ve decided you want to publish a cookbook. Now what do you do? The idea of having to write and produce an entire cookbook can be overwhelming, especially when you look at the project as a whole. But, when you break things down and just focus on the next step in front of you, it’s much more manageable. That’s why today I’ll be walking you th…

I’ve been working with and hearing from a lot of food bloggers lately, food bloggers who are interested in publish a cookbook. But, they’re often unsure about whether they actually want to go through with it. I totally get it—producing a cookbook can take a lot of time, and it can be difficult to know whether your effort is going to pay off in the …

If you’re like me, you’ve started a big project only to get busy or distracted and the project sits and sits until you’ve totally forgotten about it. But, if that project is important enough, you’ll eventually come back to it and finish what you’ve started. This happened to me with my second book: I wrote maybe a third or a half of the content, the…

In some ways, mindset is everything. Having the wrong mindset and looking at your work and career the wrong way can really hold you back. If you keep looping back to the same negative thoughts or limiting beliefs, you can limit your success. Conversely, if you look at your book and your writing through the right lens, it will help you become much m…

When you’re writing a nonfiction book, it’s very common to get started…and then get stuck. And, let’s be honest: if it were easy to write a book, everyone who’s ever said, “I want to write a book someday” would already be an author. With that said, it’s also not impossible to write and finish a book. People publish books and become authors every da…

Deciding to self-publish your book and get it into print is just the first step in a long journey. You’ll spend time writing and editing your manuscript, and when you’re done, you’ll get it typeset or designed so it looks great for your readers. Then comes the process of actually getting your book printed. In theory, it should be relatively easy, b…

As a business owner, you're incredibly busy. You're working to keep up with clients, create new content to attract new followers, stay engaged on social media, and more. It's no wonder that so many of my audience members struggle to get their books written because they're so busy. If you've been trying to write your book for a while but you're feel…

Is writing and self-publishing a nonfiction book on your list of goals for 2019? If you really want to make sure you follow through and achieve that goal, it's time to start planning NOW. There are three big things you should be doing now to make sure your dream of self-publishing a nonfiction book in 2019 becomes a reality. Listen to the episode t…

In this episode, I'm talking about where current and future self-published authors should be spending their money on services like hiring a designer or an editor. I've been getting a lot of questions lately about what tasks authors should hire out and what they should DIY. I know a lot of you don't have a budget to necessarily pay someone to do eve…

Black Friday is coming up quickly, which means that if you want to offer a deal and sell more books, you need to have a marketing plan in place. But, with so many deals popping up in social media feeds and email inboxes, it can be tough to make sure people see your deal…and take advantage of it. In this episode, I’ll walk you through the basics of …

What does it take to make a self-published nonfiction book a success? Writing and producing a book takes a lot of time. And, if you're going to hire someone to help you with your book, you need to know whether it's worth investing the money, too. To help you make that decision, I'm sharing what has helped my most successful clients make their books…

This episode is being released on November 1st, when holiday shopping season is upon us. That begs the question: how can you make sure your book makes it into gift bags and stockings this year? Many authors will offer sales on their books on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. And, although price cut can definitely entice shoppers to buy your book, somet…

There’s a reason why self-publishing is so big right now, especially for entrepreneurs—a book can give you instant authority and credibility. Your book instantly sets you above other people in your niche who don’t have books. It shows that you’re serious about what you do and your business. And, it shows people that you are a thought leader in your…

I often get asked about the differences between traditional publishing and self-publishing. In particular, many entrepreneurs and bloggers want to know which direction they should take. They know that there are pros and cons of both traditional publishing and self-publishing, but they're not sure what the right choice is for them and their business…

These days, more and more people are self-publishing books. That means more competition for readers and more noise for you to break through. How do you get your self-published to stand out? By finding what makes your book unique and special. In many ways, your book is like your business. To stand out and find people willing to buy your book (or inv…

"How do I know if my book is any good?" That's one of the top five questions I get asked over and over again. It's a tough question to answer, and my answer is always nuanced and dependent upon that author's audience and ideal reader. Really, it comes down to whether your book helps solve a problem for your reader, or if it helps them improve their…

Many food bloggers (and other fans of food) dream about becoming a cookbook author someday. They flip through cookbooks in the bookstore and fantasize about what it would be like to see their name on the cover and see their food photography on those glossy pages. But, many of them wait around for a publisher to come calling. They either wind up wai…

Bloggers are uniquely suited to become authors. Most bloggers today are actively working to build an audience of engaged followers who will want to buy their book. They don't have to create an audience of book readers from scratch. They've done the hard work of finding the people who need their message, which makes the process of selling books infi…

As self publishing becomes more and more popular, self-published authors are more and more likely to run into...well, let's call them haters. They look down on self-published books, and they tell self-published authors that their book is never going to go anywhere. There are even a few traditionally-published authors out there who think they're bet…

I know that many of you who listen to the podcast are already authors. You've written, published, and launched your books, and you love hearing tips to help you sell more copies of your book now that the momentum of your launch has worn off. Whether you published your book six months or six years ago (or even longer), this episode is for you. Tradi…

As you can tell by the title, "How to Get More Health and Wellness Clients with a Book," this episode is specifically aimed at those of you who are professionals in the health, wellness, and fitness industry. I've spent many years first being passionate about, then working in, this industry, and three of my four books are fitness books. Most of my …

eCommerce giant Amazon has been a game changer for self-published authors. But, getting your book seen by the shoppers who want it can be a little tricky. With hundreds of millions of shoppers on Amazon each month, all you need to do is load your eBook into KDP and the money will start rolling in, right? If only it was that easy... In this episode,…

Smart authors take full advantage of the holiday shopping season. They know that their book would make a perfect gift, and they want to make sure that it's on shoppers' lists. But, if your book isn't ready in time for the holidays, well...you're not going to see that nice holiday bump in your book sales and royalty payouts, either. If you want to p…

I've mentioned before that more and more authors with big audiences are choosing to self publish. I'm really honored to feature an interview with one of those people in this episode of the Blogger to Author podcast. I had the amazing opportunity to interview Dana Malstaff of Boss Mom. Dana self published her book Boss Mom: The Ultimate Guide to Rai…