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Can you make a living from writing books?

Writing and publishing books is a lot of fun. It can be a fulfilling and rewarding full-time career for some, but for most authors, it is an ongoing challenge trying to make a decent living from it.

For many writers, this is the dream – the end game. We hold the vision of living and working in the beautiful, cosy cabin in the country, or the stunning beach house with views of the water that go on forever.

In that vision, we spend all day every day drinking coffee and coming up with amazing content that we know our readers are going to want to devour by the millions when we finally finish our books and get them effortlessly out into the marketplace where they sell themselves.

It’s a worthy dream to hold on to and keep working toward, so this week I thought I would offer some ideas for how to inch closer to achieving it. Here are some tips that might make the difference between writing as a hobby and writing for a living.

Can you write a book in 30 days or less?

When I talk to aspiring authors who want to write a book, I often get an overwhelming sense of urgency from the author due to some sort of pressure they are feeling to get their book done and get it out there.

It’s not just pure excitement. They can become quite driven, and I can’t help thinking that much of this urgency is self-imposed in an effort to generate the energy they think they’re going to need for the sprint. Like taking off a band aid, they want to do it fast, so it hurts less.

So, I first want to ask: What’s the hurry? Really.

But I also want to say: Yes, you can!!

It is absolutely possible to write a book in 30 days if you plan it, make the time for it, and commit to the outcome, and I’m going to give you some tips on how to achieve that, but first let’s look at some of the reasons authors don’t get their book written and see if we can’t eliminate some of them before we move forward.

How to write a memoir: Tips for telling your life story

So many people have big stories to share. They’ve had to face some really tough times or they’ve been through things that most people would never have to go through.

These experiences make for really interesting reading, but they also make for interesting writing.

Retelling your story is a powerful experience regardless of whether you choose to publish your story. It brings a deeper level of appreciation for your experiences and your own personal growth as a result.

But if you decide to have your book published, writing a memoir can be a powerful way to connect with readers, and share your unique perspective with the world.

If you’d like to know more about writing a memoir, click here and I’ll share my tips with you.

Can you write an entire book using AI?

Are you thinking about writing a non-fiction book, but struggling to find the right words or structure?

Is time a factor that’s getting in the way of you finishing your book and getting it published?

Have you considered using an AI program like Chat GPT to help you?

Chat GPT is a powerful tool that can generate text based on the input you provide. It’s been trained on a massive amount of text data and has the ability to understand natural language, making it an ideal resource for writers.
I have been playing with this quite a bit lately and I am so excited about the possibilities so I thought I would give you some tips on how to use it to get your book written:

It’s Christmas Time

What a year it has been!!

I want to say a sincere thank you from the bottom of my heart to those of you who have been opening our emails, reading our blog, watching our videos and listenning to our podcast each week.

I also want to express my heartfelt gratitude to our community of 200+ authors who chose to put their trust in us by allowing us to bring their stories to life. We do love our Disruptive Authors and not only do we value their trust, we appreciate the referrals they continue to send to us. Thanks.

Can You Be Afraid and Be Successful at the Same Time? 3 Ways to Outmanoeuvre Your Fears

I’ve talked a lot about fear and how it can rob authors of their dreams.

Imagining a wildly successful outcome can spark a level of joy that motivates and encourages people to take action in a big way. But it an also spark fear in many and stop people in their tracks.

Did you know that you can be afraid and be successful at the same time?

It’s true. Dealing with the unknown is a natural part of being successful. There are many risks, roadblocks, and potential problems that spring up along the way and it’s normal to be afraid of what could happen.

It’s also expected that to succeed one must operate with some degree of fear as they take bold action without knowing with certainty how things will turn out.

The Only Two Things You Need To Know To Write A Powerful Business Book

One of the biggest fears I think businesspeople have around writing a book is that they are not writers, let along good ones.

They don’t believe they have what it takes to write a good book so they let the idea go as quickly as it might come to them, every time it comes to them. They dismiss the idea quickly because they believe it would be a waste of good time and resources to even try.

It’s such a shame really because writing the right business book is one of the smartest things a businessperson can do for his or her business. So, dismissing the idea deprives them of a powerful and valuable marketing tool that can set them apart and help them stand out in a crowded marketplace.

When you know your business, structuring your book is more about good organisation than it is about being a good writer. And organisation IS something that many businesspeople are good at. They have to be, to survive.

If you are in business, I want you to trust me just for today when I say that you don’t need to be a spectacular writer to write the right business book. There are lots of good editors out there who can clean up your grammar and spelling. They can even organise your writing to some degree.

You just need to focus on the message, and I encourage all my authors to write as they speak so that their reader can get familiar with their voice.

From there, you need to know what information is important – and what isn’t – and you need to know the best order in which to share what you know. But I can give you a plan to help you with that.

So that means the only two things you need to know are:

1. your business

and

2. how to follow a plan

If this is you, come with me now because today I’m going to give you the plan.

What’s THE most important thing to remember when you are writing your book?

When someone is thinking about writing a non-fiction book – a memoir, a self-help or a business book – it never even occurs to them that their book might be about anyone other than themselves.

They are the author, after all. Who else would it be about?

If they are writing a memoir, then it is about their life story, or a portion of it, and that makes the book entirely about them.

If they are writing a self-help or a business book, then naturally it is about them, because it is their experience and their expertise they will be writing about.

They will be writing their book in an attempt to show their ideal customers and clients that they know their business and that they know what they are talking about. They need to be seen as an expert in their field, and as someone who can be trusted to advise and help the reader. That is the very reason for writing the book for many.

But…in a twist of irony, it turns out that one of the most important things an author needs to know about writing a book about himself is…

How to Write a Book in 9 easy(ish) steps

Today I am going to talk to you about writing and publishing a book, which feels a little bit weird, because I feel like I talk about this stuff all the time.

But last week at a networking meeting I was asked, “how do I go from having an idea in my head to holding a book in my hand?”, and at that moment I realised that I don’t actually talk about it all the time at all.

What I do is I talk around it, and I do that because I assume people already know certain things – the things I am going to talk about today.

I am almost always in the company of small businesspeople. They’re my people – my tribe – and I feel very comfortable with them.

Being asked how to write a book is a regular occurrence, but I hadn’t been asked in that way before, and I am super grateful that it happened, because I realised that I’d forgotten what the people around me don’t know.

So that’s what I’m going to talk about today.

Let’s explore how you can go from having an idea in your head to holding a book in your hand.

3 Reasons That You May be Fearful of Success

Last week I talked about the fear of being seen – why we might be afraid to be seen and how to push through that fear so that we can realise our dream of becoming a published author.

So, this week I wanted to talk about another fear that holds authors back and that is the fear of success.

Is it really a thing do you think? And more specifically, is it affecting you?

Let’s dive deeper into this topic and find out if the fear of success is actually holding you back.