Should You Hire Your Own Editor?

Should You Hire Your Own Editor? Blog banner with image of woman typing on a laptop

🤔 If you get assigned an editor when you publish your book through a traditional publisher, why would you pay to work with a separate editor? It might surprise you to learn that we work with a lot of authors who already have book deals or who are hoping to go through a traditional publisher.  The publishing … Read more

What Does Your Platform Size Have To Do With Your Book Topic?

Pop Quiz! 🤓 Which of these two sentences do you think is correct? I don’t have a very big platform, so I need to make sure my book appeals to more people.  OR I don’t have a very big platform, so I need to make sure my book appeals to a very narrow, specific audience.  … Read more

Should You Build Your Author Platform or Write Your Book First? 

Should You Build Your Author Platform or Write Your Book First? 

It’s a classic “Which comes first? The chicken or egg?” kind of question: Should you build your author platform or write your book first? We get versions of this question ALL. THE. TIME. So buckle up, because we’re breaking it down just for you. ​​​​​​​ (By the way, we’re mostly talking to non-fiction writers on this … Read more

The First Step to Writing a Nonfiction Book

Want to know the super-important, often-overlooked first step to writing a nonfiction book? (We consider skipping this to be at the top of our imaginary “nonfiction mistakes” list.) If you want to write your memoir, a self-help/personal growth book, a spirituality book, or any kind of transformational nonfiction, this first step will save you a … Read more

Author Spotlight: Shanita Liu, Author of Dear Durga

Image of author Shanita Liu and the cover of her new book: Dear Durga

We are so excited to share an interview with one of our clients who has recently published her first book! We hope you’ll be inspired by her journey to share her lessons about courage with the world. So without further rambling (long intros are the worst, right?), let’s chat with Shanita Liu about Dear Durga: … Read more

Are you stuck? How to get writing again!

focus on finger typing on laptop computer

What’s the #1 issue aspiring authors hit as they reach for their book goals? They’re just not writing! Regardless of their good intentions, the words are not flying on the page the way they’d like. Sound like you? If so, you may need to ask yourself the world’s simplest question: What’s really going on? Yeah, … Read more

Author Spotlight: Teri Dillion, Self-Published Author of “No Pressure, No Diamonds”

I’ve known Teri Dillion for over a decade, having first met on a month-long meditation retreat in Colorado in 2008. Back then if you’d asked me about her, I would have spoken of her devotion to her practice and her penetrating blue eyes. Today, if you asked me about her, I would speak of courage, … Read more

The Worst Reason to Write a Book

The Worst Reason to Write a Book

I have a confession to make: When I first dreamed of being an author, I wasn’t dreaming about changing my readers’ lives. I also wasn’t dreaming about what a great example I would be setting for my nieces, or how publishing my own book would make me that much more effective in helping others publish … Read more

How to Make Videos to Promote Your Book

[VIDEO] How to Make Videos to Promote Your Book

Launching a book will teach you a lot about yourself. About your capacity for great things, your ability to persevere, and your willingness to try new things. One of the new things I tried while launching The Book You Were Born to Write was starting a YouTube channel. Turns out I love making videos! And … Read more

The #1 Key to Writing a Book That Sells

There are a thousand different reasons to write a book: You might be writing it for your heart—because you just have to. You might be writing it for your art—creative expression in action. You might be writing it for your clients—so you can hand them all your wisdom in one nifty package. And you might … Read more