11 Common Author Mistakes and How to Solve Them via @coachjudy

Want to view this article on the Web? Click here http://bit.ly/Lbo8FD Writing a book to add more credibility, visibility, and residual income to your business and services? Are you an emerging author new to book writing, self publishing, and marketing? Are you aware of many of the common mistakes new non-fiction authors make that hold back the success of their book project? 1. Emerging authors don't know their book's purpose. Answer the question, "Why are you are writing it?" For fame, fortune? To answer a challenge? To brand your business and make money? To entertain? 2. Emerging authors don't know who is their preferred audience. It's not everyone. Authors also need to know what their preferred audience wants (as in solutions for a challenge), or where to reach them so the promotion and marketing dollars spent will bring a high Return on Investment (ROI). This is the most common and costly mistake because a general audience is much harder to write for (you must include each audience in each chapter), and harder to market and promote. Your audience is all important in social media too. Remember, it's always best to write the book your audience wants rather than write a book and hope others will buy. 3. Many emerging authors are afraid to invest money for coaching or training. They may lack trust in what a book or writing coach can do for them. That is an online phenomenon, so be sure to check out your possible book coach's website. Does she give good free content that helps you? Does she give ways to sample her coaching at a low cost? In one short interactive phone session, you can ask questions before you decide to move toward ongoing coaching. 4. New authors think they need to write a print book of 200 plus pages. Authors also think they need an agent and a publisher. Today's audience is online and wants a short book with just the key points. They want their challenges solved. They want easy-to-read. They don't need so many stories because their reading time is limited. They want information fast and easy. They will be happy to buy and print out a short electronic book under 100 pages, and as long as they get answers, they don't care who your publisher is. 5. Emerging authors leap into an introductory chapter all about THEIR story. Your audience wants what you can do for them first. If you use your story, interweave it with your copy that engages your reader by using the "YOU" format. You need to let your reader know your book is for and about THEM. 6. Writers don't realize they need to write the easiest chapter first. If they pick a difficult one, they get stuck fast, and either give up or go on to more research. 7. Emerging authors think they need to research a lot. Really, what you know is already in you about one particular topic. Make a short list of questions on one topic for each chapter of your book. Then, answer them. Now you have part of the middle of your chapter. Research usually tells, and your readers want to be included, not told. You're writing a book to share your expertise and experience, after all! 8. Emerging authors write on and on without giving their reader a break or a reason to finish their book. Get your readers to turn pages and keep turning to finish when you put benefit-driven headlines up in your non-fiction work. Use a hook after each headline to pull readers along. Ask a question or two to include the reader and get them to think about where they are now with this particular challenge. 9.  Authors forget to use a hook at the beginning of the chapter and after each heading. They launch on telling their reader all kinds of info they didn't set the reader up to want. You the author must motivate your reader to keep reading to finish each chapter. Then, the whole book. Now, you have your strong 24/7 sales team to give good "word-of-mouth." 10. Authors don't realize a hook includes a few questions about where your audience is now. Or, some wild facts that affect your reader. After the hook, let your reader know the benefits of reading the chapter. 11. Non-fiction authors forget to put a finish on the end of the chapter. Maybe action steps. But always a last paragraph that gives the reader a reason to turn to the next chapter. Remember benefits sell. I Am Here to Help. Maybe you are thinking about getting help with your book project. Maybe you wonder if it's worth it. Whatever form that coaching takes, it is worth it. A book coach can help you save time, frustration, and money down the drain because you will stop book writing, publishing, and promotion mistakes before they start. Most clients tell me that they receive the value of the coaching costs and more because their book is much more saleable. You can register for an intro-coaching session with me here... http://bit.ly/K5rDyZ Sharing is Caring! What mistakes have you made as an author? What did you do to correct or avoid them? We all benefit from each others' experiences. Please get into the discussion at: http://bit.ly/Lbo8FD =============== 25 year Book Coach, Judy Cullins helps you in business to write a "best seller" and build your brand with a short book to sell all the books and get all the clients you need. Author of... "Write your eBook Other Short Book-Fast!" "LinkedIn Marketing: 8 Best Tactics to Build Book and Business Sales" "Advanced Article Marketing" Click http://www.bookcoaching.com/help-writing-a-book.php to get fresh, free, weekly publications on book writing, self publishing, and online marketing Network with Judy on... http://www.linkedin.com/in/judycullins http://twitter.com/CoachJudy http://www.facebook.com/coachjudycullins =============== judycullins@cox.net 619/466-0622