Before sitting down to write, ask yourself, “Does my book need a bun?”
Recently, I was craving a good burger, but I’ve been on a keto-type diet, and my beloved bread is not part of the plan.
I went to place a delivery order from a newish grass-fed burger place, thinking I would just put special instructions into the form asking them to leave out the bun.
Sure, I could throw away the bun… but first, there is the unnecessary waste of good food… and then…
I know myself… … if their tasty brioche bun was sitting before me….well, why suffer temptation?
As I perused the takeout menu, I was pleasantly surprised to see the option for a lettuce-wrapped burger!
Genius.
And it was really tasty!
This got me thinking about your book. The one you are thinking of writing.
You might think of it as a brioche bun when it could be lettuce-wrapped or deconstructed into a burger and fixings in a bowl.
Hopefully, I haven’t lost you here… so let me give you a few book examples to illustrate my question ‘does your book need a bun’:
Let’s say you want to write a book about your consulting methodology. You envision it taking twelve chapters to outline the problem, your methodology, and how it can be applied.
What if your message would get you great author results just as successfully as:
A book of case studies
A book of interviews
A step-by-step guide
A parable
A six-chapter, 50-page book
Or… any one of hundreds of potential book formats [yes, a colleague has studied and identified hundreds of formats!]
How do you decide the format for your book? Here are a few ways:
Think of books you have enjoyed – what is their format?
Think about your zone of genius… Is it interviewing? Is it breaking down complex tasks into smaller chunks and creating step-by-step instructions?
Consider your ideal readers – are they busy executives who want ‘just the facts’? Engineers who need lots of data?
You are unique. Your book can be as well.
Words differently arranged have a different meaning, and meanings differently arranged have different effects” is attributed to Blaise Pascal.
As we go into the Labor Day holiday weekend in the U.S., I encourage you to consider the format that will bring you the most joy and feel the least like labor!
Finding the sweet spot between your author goals, your zone of genius, and how you enjoy working can result in a book format that feels less like labor and is more fun to create—no bun needed—while still helping you achieve great results.
Pascal also said, “Let no one say that I have said nothing new; the arrangement of the material is new”.
Do coaches help you achieve better author results? Does an author need a book coach? A look at the recent Olympic Games can shed some light on the topic.
Many elite and Olympic athletes have coaches, and some have multiple coaches, such as nutritionists and mental performance coaches.
Major league baseball teams have a team of coaches, including a bench coach, first and third base coach, hitting coach, strength and training coach, and more.
📚 📚This brings me to the role of a book coach. You may have wondered what a coach can do for you. Here is my response to the question – do you need a book coach?
I’m not an Olympian—not even close. When I decided to train for a marathon, I knew I needed help and support to achieve my goal. I’m the gal who is sometimes allergic to exercise. I even got a doctor’s note to get out of the gym one semester in high school. My good intentions to train for and complete a marathon could easily be sidetracked and abandoned.
Joining Team in Training [TNT], The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s excellent program that offers professional sports training in exchange for fundraising efforts, was the best thing I did for myself.
I am proud to have raised thousands of dollars for the organization. TNT even sent a coach with me for the race. They were with me every step of the way on race day – no easy task as there was an ice storm.
Honestly, I wouldn’t have completed the Dublin Marathon without their training and support.
Do people complete Olympics, marathons, and write books without coaches? Sure.
If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results you want and copy what they do, and you’ll achieve the same results.” – Tony Robbins
How can a book coach help you become a successful author?
A book coach can support, inspire, and help you achieve your goal of being a successful, published author in several ways.
First, it’s important to note that all book coaches aren’t alike. They bring different skill sets, experiences, and the scope of their work with you. It’s essential to find out their background and what is covered under their ‘book coaching’ services or programs.
Here is a look at what is possible within the universe of book coaching:
👉 Get clarity around your book idea
A common refrain I hear from authors is that they have a lot of book ideas and aren’t sure which one to write, or they have some loose ideas but don’t have clarity around how to connect them cohesively.
👉 Vet your book idea
Any topic or piece of content can be turned into a book. However, knowing if your topic has a market and aligns with your business goals is important.
👉 Help you craft a clear and compelling vision for your author journey
Another common obstacle I hear from aspiring authors is that they are overwhelmed by the idea of writing, publishing, and promoting a book and don’t grasp the big picture and steps they’ll need to take. It’s easier to move forward with a roadmap.
👉 Hold a bigger vision for you – so you create some ‘stretch’ goals
Many aspiring authors come to me and say they are ready to be more visible and scale, yet they are afraid to or hold back from thinking really big. A supportive coach can encourage them to think bigger and create a strategy to help them reach their goals.
👉 Help you create an action plan
With so many available choices and moving parts to the writing and publishing process, it can take time to figure out where to start or what to focus on. A seasoned book coach can help you create a streamlined and customized plan. Having a plan reduces overwhelm and stress.
👉 Help you uncover and overcome mindset obstacles and blocks
Even the most successful people run into mindset issues when they think about writing a book and putting themselves out there. A coach can help you identify and move past blocks more easily so they don’t derail your author dreams.
👉 Eliminate the need for you to get your Ph.D. in publishing
While anyone can self-publish a book, there is a sizeable learning curve. Rather than take time away from your zone of genius and cut into your work and leisure time, a book coach can be your professional guide and help you craft a professional product that will help you attract ideal clients.
👉 Streamline the process – they can actually save you money
While book coaches can be hired from affordable to premium rates, working with one often saves you money. Some coaching packages include book layout and design services or can direct you to make better hires, saving you from costly hiring mistakes or poor results that require budget-busting do-overs.
🧰 🧰 Some coaches only focus on the writing aspect of your book. Great content is essential, but you need more than just writing to get your book in front of your ideal readers. So you’ll want to know if your coach will help you set author goals and create a strategy to help you achieve them or if you need to tackle that on your own or with a full-service coach.
Coaches can also hold you accountable, answer questions, talk you off a ledge, be your best cheerleader, and more.
If you are thinking of writing a book and would like to explore working with a book coach, I invite you to a conversation.
Here is what a client has to say about the experience of working with me:
When deciding on who to choose for a book coach, Jane is your choice. She has been amazing as a combination subject matter expert in all aspects of marketing, publishing and writing books and supplies never ending support and honest feedback, as well as freely sharing her personal and professional contacts.
I can honestly say, I never could have done this without her. There are simply not enough superlatives to describe Jane!”
Marya Triandafellos, Artist and Author,Career X: Expert Advice on How to Cultivate Your Career
As the subject matter expert you already are—you could probably just start to write your book, pouring your years of experience, success stories, and wisdom into your manuscript and writing enough words to have a book. For a better outcome, don’t just start to write your book.
I don’t recommend you do this. Instead, let’s look at the process all New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today traditionally published best-selling authors go through – they first create a book proposal.
If you are considering self-publishing your book, you’ll also want to create an equivalent version—what we call The Book Blueprint.
Why is this so important? I could simply say that success leaves clues, and it leave it at that. Behind 99.9% of bestsellers is a book proposal or a book blueprint.
It’s important to understand why book proposals and book blueprints are integral to author success and how they can help make your author journey smoother and less stressful.
What is a book proposal or a book blueprint?
It’s the well-done research, well-thought-out concept, and well-written proposal that helps an author get the book deal from a big publishing house.
It also creates the clarity, vision, and roadmap for writing and publishing a great book, and that’s what we want for you as well.
Before diving into the sections of your self-publishing book blueprint we start with exploring your big vision for your book. This includes:
defining your ideal audience
identifying your big author why
identifying and articulating your author goals
outlining and identifying the transformation and experience you want your reader to have
mapping out a solid book outline in the form of your table of contents
And last but not least, your book marketing strategy and a high-level view of your marketing plan.
In the case of your book proposal or book blueprint, it is the actual process of brainstorming, defining and clarifying every aspect of your book that is truly valuable.
Holding your feet to the fire, and getting you to answer all the required questions in advance of writing your book, gives you, the author total clarity on the book they want to write with clear guidance on the form it should take to meet all your stated goals.
Working through the various aspects of your book proposal or blueprint, requires you to view your book from an object vantage point, and consider what is in it for the publishing house and the reader, and be able to articulate that clearly and compellingly.
Clarity is power. The more clear you are about exactly what you want, the more likely you are to achieve it.”– Billy Cox
The beauty of this process is that it gives authors total clarity about their books. By creating a thoughtful, well-fleshed-out table of contents, you now have a writing roadmap to follow.
Goodbye to writer’s block, wondering what to write, and wondering who your book is for. This will help your book flow more easily and effectively.
Uncover Your Book Idea While Sipping Wine in the Cafe Flore
The Paris Book Accelerator Retreat is for women entrepreneurs and professionals who want to write a business-building book.
The retreat is hosted in the heart of Paris by best-selling author and book mentor Jane Tabachnick, the founder of Simply Good Press.
Come for the writing – emerge with the spirit of a Parisian woman – more aligned with your chic inner goddess and forever transformed
by the beauty, creativity, and inspiration that permeates every inch of the City of Lights.
You’ll leave with your book draft & clarity on your path to bestseller.
Why attend a writing retreat in Paris?
The benefits of Paris writing retreats dedicated to writing a book are many. Here is an overview:
Focus – time out of your daily routine and responsibilities to devote time and brain power to your own work and book concept
Mentoring – expert guidance on writing a great book – one that will help you achieve your business goals.
Camaraderie – a small group of your peers – who said writing has to be a lonely endeavor?
Peer feedback – validate your book idea and get ongoing feedback and support
Travel and adventure – combine writing your book with travel to a great destination and new adventures
Personal and professional transformation – the retreat is designed to help you uplevel and grow personally and in your writing
Work towards a goal – the retreat is designed to help you create a complete vision and Book Blueprint for your book, along with a solid action plan
The city of Paris – a great location with a history of inspiring creativity
Great backdrop for author photos – we’ll capture iconic photos of you to grace your back cover
“My results have been phenomenal. Thanks to Jane’s work and guidance, my book is now being used as a tool in a training program at AT&T. I’ve been tapped as a top trainer by the Tony Robbins Organization, and I’m a sought-after thought leader.
If you’re someone who is considering writing a book or looking for a publisher, I highly recommend Jane. Self-publishing can be a daunting fast; Jane will provide you with the tools and support to get your project out there and into the hands of people that can benefit from your work.” – Frederica A. Peterson, Author and DEI Consultant
Who is it for?
Professional and entrepreneurial women who want to write a business-building book. Our clients typically are coaches, consultants, professionals, and healers who are successful at what they do, yet may feel under-recognized. The retreat is geared towards self-publishing but will be valuable for authors who want to attract a literary agent and follow a traditional publishing route. Our authors want to write books in these genres: Self-Help, How-To, Leadership, Health and Wellness, Spirituality, Hybrid Memoir.
The writer’s retreat is designed to be an immersive experience with workshops, writing exercises, cultural events, and special meals. Based on the proven method used by NY Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling authors, participants will brainstorm, plan, and outline their book, gaining total clarity on their book idea and path to publishing through our Book Blueprint process. They’ll also be guided on writing creative nonfiction as they begin to author their book. Our Paris writers’ retreat will be a small group of up to twelve participants.
Morning workshops focus on developing the book concept, author mindset, and book draft. Afternoons offer a time to enjoy cultural activities and inspire participants. Attendees will enjoy a mix of classic tourist sites and some of the magical, under-the-radar Paris locations and activities that Jane has discovered during her time there and can’t wait to share. Shared group meals offer a time to relax, share ideas, bond with fellow attendees, and enjoy Paris’s sensual, gourmet delights.
We’ve designed our Paris Book Writing Retreat meticulously. The itinerary is complete with a joyful combination of workshops, accommodations, and activities, so attendees don’t have to plan or think about what to do. They can just show up ready to work on their book in our nonfiction workshops. Of course, there is some free time built in so attendees can have downtime or plan an activity of their own.
The Paris writing workshop includes:
Daily lessons and writing workshops
Find your voice session
Gourmet group meals
Cultural tours and activities
Photos session with a professional photographer
Free time to explore the city on your own
Why Paris? The City of Lights is the perfect place as it has attracted and inspired writers like Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, Gertrude Stein, and many others. It continues to be a special place that attracts and inspires creativity. Jane considers Paris her 2nd home and loves to explore the city and share some of the hidden gems she discovers in the city.
The creative writing workshops offer time to brainstorm, plan, and map out your book in an inspired setting. The activities will include cultural and historical tours, including iconic sites like The Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral. Our left bank writers retreat occurs on the right bank, so we can show you a part tour of Paris, as you have never seen her in the guidebooks.
What is The Book Blueprint? How do you write a great book?
Success leaves clues. New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestselling authors follow a proven process to become successful authors – the book proposal. It is the well-thought-out, clearly defined pitch they make to an agent or publisher to try and secure a publishing deal. The basis for the book proposal is the process of getting clear on your book idea and effectively communicating it to entice others to want to know more. Based on the same foundation, the Book Blueprint is designed to give authors total clarity about the book they want to write. Taking the time to define their ideal reader, the type of book they want to write, and their author goals before putting pen to paper provides a clear vision and roadmap for their journey. By taking the time to define every aspect of their book, including a detailed table of contents, authors can create a high-quality book to share their knowledge, message, and methods more widely and consistently. It helps authors identify their publishing and profitability paths. The Book Blueprint also creates a smoother, more stress-free author journey, eliminating writer’s block.
Let’s face it: writing a book for the first time can feel overwhelming and confusing. Having an experienced book coach provide expert mentoring and guidance makes the process feel doable and ensures faster, better results. You’ve worked hard to create your success and build a brand that reflects the quality of your work. You want your book to be high quality to attract more ideal, high-paying clients.
Imagine having total clarity on the book you want to write, your publishing path, what content to include in your book, a step-by-step timeline, as well as an idea of your go-to-market book launch strategy. How confident will you feel with this much clarity around your book? An added benefit of the retreat is meeting the other amazing people attending. You may form lifelong friendships and professional connections. You leave with a support network of like-minded entrepreneurs and professionals on the same author journey as you. They can become accountability partners and motivational support networks and become part of your book launch team.
About the host: Jane Tabachnick is a bestselling, award-winning author, book mentor, visibility, and profit activator. Jane has a background in entrepreneurship and PR and has helped author clients get featured in Oprah Magazine, CNN, INC, Entrepreneur, Travel Weekly, and many other media outlets. She has helped over 250 authors achieve bestseller status. Named One of the Top 100 People Online by FastCompany and a Woman of the Future by NY Women’s Agenda, Jane considers herself both a New Yorker and a Parisian.
Uncover Your Book Idea While Sipping Wine in the Cafe Flore
The Paris Book Accelerator Retreat is for women entrepreneurs and professionals who want to write a business-building book.
The retreat is hosted in the heart of Paris by best-selling author and book mentor Jane Tabachnick, the founder of Simply Good Press.
Come for the writing – emerge with the spirit of a Parisian woman, more aligned with your chic inner goddess and forever transformed by the beauty, creativity, and inspiration that permeates every inch of the City of Lights.
You’ll leave with your book draft & clarity on your path to bestseller.
Why attend a writing retreat in Paris?
The benefits of Paris writing retreats dedicated to writing a book are many. Here is an overview:
Focus – time out of your daily routine and responsibilities to devote time and brain power to your own work and book concept
Mentoring – expert guidance on writing a great book – one that will help you achieve your business goals.
Camaraderie – a small group of your peers – who said writing has to be a lonely endeavor?
Peer feedback – validate your book idea and get ongoing feedback and support
Travel and adventure – combine writing your book with travel to a great destination and new adventures
Personal and professional transformation – the retreat is designed to help you uplevel and grow personally and in your writing
Work towards a goal – the retreat is designed to help you create a complete vision and Book Blueprint for your book, along with a solid action plan
The city of Paris – a great location with a history of inspiring creativity
Great backdrop for author photos – we’ll capture iconic photos of you to grace your back cover
“My results have been phenomenal. Thanks to Jane’s work and guidance, my book is now being used as a tool in a training program at AT&T. I’ve been tapped as a top trainer by the Tony Robbins Organization, and I’m a sought-after thought leader.
If you’re someone who is considering writing a book or looking for a publisher, I highly recommend Jane. Self-publishing can be a daunting fast; Jane will provide you with the tools and support to get your project out there and into the hands of people that can benefit from your work.” – Frederica A. Peterson, Author and DEI Consultant
Who is it for?
Professional and entrepreneurial women who want to write a business-building book. Our clients typically are coaches, consultants, professionals, and healers who are successful at what they do, yet may feel under-recognized. The retreat is geared towards self-publishing but will be valuable for authors who want to attract a literary agent and follow a traditional publishing route. Our authors want to write books in these genres: Self-Help, How-To, Leadership, Health and Wellness, Spirituality, Hybrid Memoir.
The writer’s retreat is designed to be an immersive experience with workshops, writing exercises, cultural events, and special meals. Based on the proven method used by NY Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling authors, participants will brainstorm, plan, and outline their book, gaining total clarity on their book idea and path to publishing through our Book Blueprint process. They’ll also be guided on writing creative nonfiction as they begin to author their book. Our Paris writers’ retreat will be a small group of up to twelve participants.
Morning workshops focus on developing the book concept, author mindset, and book draft. Afternoons offer a time to enjoy cultural activities and inspire participants. Attendees will enjoy a mix of classic tourist sites and some of the magical, under-the-radar Paris locations and activities that Jane has discovered during her time there and can’t wait to share. Shared group meals offer a time to relax, share ideas, bond with fellow attendees, and enjoy Paris’s sensual, gourmet delights.
We’ve designed our Paris Book Writing Retreat meticulously. The itinerary is complete with a joyful combination of workshops, accommodations, and activities, so attendees don’t have to plan or think about what to do. They can just show up ready to work on their book in our nonfiction workshops. Of course, there is some free time built in so attendees can have downtime or plan an activity of their own.
The Paris writing workshop includes:
Daily lessons and writing workshops
Find your voice session
Gourmet group meals
Cultural tours and activities
Photos session with a professional photographer
Free time to explore the city on your own
Why Paris? The City of Lights is the perfect place as it has attracted and inspired writers like Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, Gertrude Stein, and many others. It continues to be a special place that attracts and inspires creativity. Jane considers Paris her 2nd home and loves to explore the city and share some of the hidden gems she discovers in the city.
The creative writing workshops offer time to brainstorm, plan, and map out your book in an inspired setting. The activities will include cultural and historical tours, including iconic sites like The Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral. Our left bank writers retreat occurs on the right bank, so we can show you a part tour of Paris, as you have never seen her in the guidebooks.
What is The Book Blueprint? How do you write a great book?
Success leaves clues. New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestselling authors follow a proven process to become successful authors – the book proposal. It is the well-thought-out, clearly defined pitch they make to an agent or publisher to try and secure a publishing deal. The basis for the book proposal is the process of getting clear on your book idea and effectively communicating it to entice others to want to know more. Based on the same foundation, the Book Blueprint is designed to give authors total clarity about the book they want to write. Taking the time to define their ideal reader, the type of book they want to write, and their author goals before putting pen to paper provides a clear vision and roadmap for their journey. By taking the time to define every aspect of their book, including a detailed table of contents, authors can create a high-quality book to share their knowledge, message, and methods more widely and consistently. It helps authors identify their publishing and profitability paths. The Book Blueprint also creates a smoother, more stress-free author journey, eliminating writer’s block.
Let’s face it: writing a book for the first time can feel overwhelming and confusing. Having an experienced book coach provide expert mentoring and guidance makes the process feel doable and ensures faster, better results. You’ve worked hard to create your success and build a brand that reflects the quality of your work. You want your book to be high quality to attract more ideal, high-paying clients.
Imagine having total clarity on the book you want to write, your publishing path, what content to include in your book, a step-by-step timeline, as well as an idea of your go-to-market book launch strategy. How confident will you feel with this much clarity around your book? An added benefit of the retreat is meeting the other amazing people attending. You may form lifelong friendships and professional connections. You leave with a support network of like-minded entrepreneurs and professionals on the same author journey as you. They can become accountability partners and motivational support networks and become part of your book launch team.
About the host: Jane Tabachnick is a bestselling, award-winning author, book mentor, visibility, and profit activator. Jane has a background in entrepreneurship and PR and has helped author clients get featured in Oprah Magazine, CNN, INC, Entrepreneur, Travel Weekly, and many other media outlets. She has helped over 250 authors achieve bestseller status. Named One of the Top 100 People Online by FastCompany and a Woman of the Future by NY Women’s Agenda, Jane considers herself both a New Yorker and a Parisian.
Writing a book can be a game-changer. It instantly elevates your status as an expert and enhances your authority in your field. Your book grants you greater visibility and credibility, as a quick Google search of your name will likely yield your book listing on Amazon. People’s perception of you will soar. A book is not just about personal achievement; it’s a powerful tool to impact and inspire.
Navigating the Publishing Journey: Goal, Successful Self-published Author
While self-publishing is accessible to all, ensuring your book reflects the quality of your work is a crucial consideration. For visionaries and change-makers like you, whether you’re an entrepreneur, coach, consultant, healer, CEO, or professional, you like the speed of self-publishing. Still, you are concerned with making sure your book doesn’t look amateurish. You’ve worked too hard to build your brand and reputation. Whether you plan to go it alone or work with an in-demand writer’s coach, you want a memorable outcome.
Writing a book can seem overwhelming and even daunting, especially if you are staring at a blank page and trying to figure out where to begin navigating the self-publishing waters.
“If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results you want and copy what they do and you’ll achieve the same results.” – Tony Robbins.
This post outlines our method for success for self-published nonfiction authors. It covers our proven process for creating bestsellers based on a tool used by books that have seen traditional success on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal lists. Whatever your definition of success is, a blueprint will help you have a better, less stressful author experience.
Introducing the Self Publishing Blueprint
In this post, we’re diving into the essentials of crafting a successful nonfiction book. It starts with a fundamental step of self-publishing- time spent brainstorming your book idea and thoroughly fleshing out and planning it out. We’ve identified the critical points of clarification you’ll want to identify before starting to write your book. We call this The Book Blueprint. We modeled it on the book proposal, a tool used to garner traditional publishing deals.
Understanding the Publishing Blueprint
Before we get started, let’s define what a publishing blueprint is. It is a roadmap that outlines the full details of your book. It includes the [ideal reader] who, what, where, when, and how of the book you plan to write. This blueprint is your secret weapon, providing clarity and ensuring your book effectively conveys your message and methodology.
The reason is simple: it compels authors to plan every aspect of their book meticulously. This process has several benefits, some less obvious but equally vital.
Your book blueprint is created as a tool just to help you refine your book idea and to help you write a well-thought-out book. If you are working with a ghostwriter, it is a valuable tool when placed in the hands of writers, helping them understand your ideas and intent. We have found it to be one of the best ways to predict future author success.
Your self-publishing blueprint will be the most important step in your author journey.
A Self Publishing Blueprint Forms Your Writing Roadmap
The gift of clarity around your book is that it helps create a smoother self-publishing journey, starting with your writing. Now that you have fleshed out the big ideas, your next big concern is your outline. As part of the process, you will create a detailed table of contents [capitalized?]. This forms your writing roadmap and makes your book easier to write now that you have identified your themes, topics, and goals from the very beginning. In fact, you have created a complete guide to your book.
As a publishing coach, one of the biggest challenges I see authors make is when they haven’t created a book blueprint. They often struggle to decide what content to include in their book—sometimes going off-topic or too broad, weakening their book’s strength.
Creating a book blueprint by planning your book upfront gives you the necessary guide to what content belongs in it.
With your table of contents in hand, your first step can be to block out your writing time. Now that you have completed the first mile of the journey, you can predict your delivery times for your first draft and are on your way to becoming a bestselling author.
In the next post, I’ll share a comprehensive guide to the self-publishing blueprint.
We’ve gathered the best famous author quotes on writing nonfiction to motivate, inspire and help you write your business-building book.
If uncovering the truth is the greatest challenge of nonfiction writing, it is also the greatest reward.
Writing nonfiction is more like sculpture, a matter of shaping the research into the finished thing. Novels are like paintings, specifically watercolors. Every stroke you put down you have to go with. Of course you can rewrite, but the original strokes are still there in the texture of the thing.
In this time of the Internet and nonfiction, to be on an actual bookshelf in an actual bookstore is exciting in itself.
I do think that narrative, long-form nonfiction is the perfect form because it’s rooted in something very real, but we’re also, you know, completely spiritual, emotional creatures driven by all sorts of desires and needs.
When you deal with nonfiction, you deal with human characters.
All writers are discontented with their work as it’s being made. That’s because they’re aware of a potential and believe they’re not reaching it. But the reader is not aware of the potential, so it makes no difference to him.
Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.
Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, writing takes me to another world.
One thing you learn about doing nonfiction is that you’ve got to get it right, fact-check, do your research. You’ve got to not only get the facts right but represent the subject to the world in a way that insiders feel like it’s an access port and outsiders can access it. If you’re too insider, you block access to anyone else.
In nonfiction, you have that limitation, that constraint, of telling the truth.
The challenge for a nonfiction writer is to achieve a poetic precision using the documents of truth but somehow to make people and places spring to life as if the reader was in their presence.
The privilege of being a writer is that you have this opportunity to slow down and to consider things.
Most books aren’t pure nonfiction or fiction.
In Bosnian, there’s no distinction in literature between fiction and nonfiction; there’s no word describing that.
Maybe stories are just data with a soul.
In fiction, when you paint yourself into a corner, you can write a pair of suction cups onto the bottoms of your shoes and walk up the wall and out the skylight and see the sun breaking through the clouds. In nonfiction, you don’t have that luxury.
There is no longer any such thing as fiction or nonfiction; there’s only narrative.
Truth is stranger than nonfiction. And life is too interesting to be left to journalists. People have stories, but journalists have ‘takes,’ and it’s their takes that usually win out when the stories are too complicated or, as happens, not complicated enough.
Nonfiction writers are the packhorses of literature. We’re meant to carry the story. If we can make it up and down the mountain by a reliable if not scenic route, we have delivered. Technique is optional.
I still believe nonfiction is the most important literature to come out of the second half of the 20th century.
Nonfiction is both easier and harder to write than fiction. It’s easier because the facts are already laid out before you, and there is already a narrative arc. What makes it harder is that you are not free to use your imagination and creativity to fill in any missing gaps within the story.
Non fiction is never going to die.
We often think that language mirrors the world in which we live, and I find that’s not true. The language actually makes the world in which we live. Language is not – I mean, things don’t have any mutable value by themselves; we ascribe them a value.
When I’m writing fiction I’m thinking, God, this is so hard – I have to make all this stuff up! I wish I were writing a nonfiction book where all the facts are laid out and I don’t have to be so much at sea.
Writing a nonfiction story is like cracking a safe. It seems impossible at the beginning, but once you’re in, you’re in.
An author’s ability to bring a marketing synopsis to the table – along with a great manuscript – makes a difference in what books get picked up. This is true for both fiction and nonfiction titles. You need to show your publisher what you’ve got in your marketing arsenal.
Nonfiction requires enormous discipline. You construct the terms of your story, and then you stick to them.
What I felt was, if you spend your life just writing fiction, you are going to falsify your material. And the fictional form was going to force you to do things with the material, to dramatize it in a certain way. I thought nonfiction gave one a chance to explore the world, the other world, the world that one didn’t know fully.
One of my favorite things, as a critic, was finding books by new writers who possessed a distinctive voice and vision, an inventive gift for storytelling. I also loved immersing myself in works of nonfiction that taught me something about the world, that made the past come alive or shed light on hidden corners of history or the news.
You can tell a more over-the-top incredible story if you use a nonfiction form.
What I felt was, if you spend your life just writing fiction, you are going to falsify your material. And the fictional form was going to force you to do things with the material, to dramatize it in a certain way. I thought nonfiction gave one a chance to explore the world, the other world, the world that one didn’t know fully.
I enjoy doing the research of nonfiction; that gives me some pleasure, being a detective again.
One of underestimated tasks in nonfiction writing is to impose narrative shape on an unwieldy mass of material.
“Great brands and great businesses have to be great storytellers, too. We have to tell stories – emotive, compelling stories – and even more so because we’re nonfiction.”
Like most writers, I find the Web is a wonderful distraction. Who doesn’t need that last minute research before writing?
Every successful piece of nonfiction should leave the reader with one provocative thought that he or she didn’t have before. Not two thoughts, or five – just one. So decide what single point you want to leave in the reader’s mind.
In fiction, you learn about pacing and how to build tension – which is something you want in a really good nonfiction feature article as well.
Nonfiction, to me, feels like an argument, whereas a novel is like a series of questions.
Remember, whatever type of nonfiction you are writing, as William Saroyan so aptly said:
“All writers are discontented with their work as it’s being made. That’s because they’re aware of a potential and believe they’re not reaching it. But the reader is not aware of the potential, so it makes no difference to him.”
Want help writing your nonfiction book?
We specialize in Business books, health and wellness, educational guides, and hybrid memoirs.
According to Indeed, there are twenty-five types of nonfiction writing.
Here is how they define and categorize the kind of books we work on:
Business
Business books often serve as guides about management and entrepreneurship. The authors of this genre have experience in the market or industry and share their tips, expertise or methods with readers.
Health and wellness
Health and wellness books cover topics such as stress management, sleeping habits or diet. They can address physical, mental or spiritual health. They can also offer methods or plans to change or improve health. Authors of health and wellness nonfiction are often doctors and researchers with technical knowledge, or they can be healers and health coaches.
Educational Guides
Educational guides give college and high school students advice about various topics. Others target an older audience. Educational guides can describe different types of education or educate readers about various topics.
Hybrid Memoirs
Memoirs tell a story about the author’s life. Memoirs focus on an event, such as childhood or an experience in a specific industry. Autobiographies describe the writer’s experience on their entire life’s journey. While anyone can write a memoir, autobiographies are typically the works of famous people, allowing them to share their opinions and journeys with their followers. Hybrid memoirs are a combination of the author’s story and the lessons they have learned from their experiences.
As a first-time author, you may be trying to decide if self-publishing is the right path for you. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. There are several factors to consider, and this article will outline them so you can make the best decision for you and your book.
What exactly is self-publishing?
According to Wikipedia: “Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an eBook or as a physical copy using print on demand technology. It may also apply to albums, pamphlets, brochures, games, video content, artwork, and zines. Web fiction is also a major medium for self-publishing.”
Not a new concept, self-publishing dates back to the 18th Century. The internet and other advances like print-on-demand have helped make it a more accessible method for authors. Due to its popularity, self-publishing a book has evolved to include a variety of forms. Authors can take the entirely Do-It-Yourself self-publishing route or choose from professional self-publishing (also known as assisted self-publishing) or Hybrid publishing.
It helps to understand the publishing process before you decide if you want to self-publish your book.
Publishing your book is more than simply uploading your manuscript to Amazon and hitting “submit.” Preparing your manuscript for publishing includes copy editing and proofreading, formatting, typesetting, and adding other book matter. Publishing your book so that people will read it means figuring out a go-to-market strategy, a distribution plan, pricing, which formats to offer your book in, and more.
As a first-time author, you may need a handle on all the steps in the process or which ones you can (or should) do well yourself. Different kinds of self-publishing mean taking on some or all of these tasks. Our goal is for you to be fully informed about whether self-publishing is right for you as a first-time author. Then you can determine what route you want to take if you decide to self-publish.
The allure of traditional publishing
Traditional publishing means having your manuscript acquired by a publishing company. The company then takes over most of the other steps, from laying the book out, printing it, and selling it, to enjoying a substantial portion of the profit.
Traditional publishers have strong relationships with bookstores, so there is a higher likelihood that they will be able to place your book on retail bookstore shelves.
For some authors, the prestige of garnering an agent and a publishing deal is part of the appeal of writing. They believe this route aligns more with their vision and brand and may feel that self-publishing needs to be more respected or legitimate.
Traditionally published books are indeed well-produced and professional looking. The trademark of a well-known publishing house can lend a book legitimacy in the eyes of some readers, although most don’t pay attention to it.
Over the past few decades, self-publishing has gained popularity and respectability, and done right, it can achieve the same results as traditionally published books. A well-done self-published book is indistinguishable from a traditionally published book.
The publishing landscape has changed in the 21st Century. It was customary for publishers to give authors a large, up-front advance payment on their royalties. Today, though, most first-time or non-celebrity authors get little book advance.
What a publisher does for you (and what it doesn’t)
The other main appeal of a traditional publisher can be that they handle everything for you. The publishing company’s staff oversees book production, including proofreading, formatting, cover art, etc.
There is a perception that there are no out-of-pocket publishing expenses for the author who goes the traditional publishing route. That used to be the case, but nowadays, publishers typically don’t do marketing for most authors they publish. Instead, because publishers are very risk-averse, they do the minimum amount of publicity—perhaps issuing a press release for the book—and then sit back to see if the book gets traction on its own. If the book gets traction, the publishing house will start putting its marketing and publicity dollars to work for the author.
So, authors need to be aware that, even with a traditional publishing deal book deal, they will still be responsible for their marketing and promotion. If the author can get attention for the book on their own, the publisher will only do a little to help.
Additionally, the publisher will be making most decisions about the book’s branding (the look and feel) and setting the timeline for publication, which can be as far as two years out.
A final factor to consider is that the author gets the smallest percentage of royalties with a traditional publisher. If the author got an advance, they wouldn’t get paid any additional royalties until the book has “earned out” the advance. Authors will also pay a higher price to buy copies of their own books if they want them for speaking engagements or to sell on their own websites.
Hybrid publishing options
Hybrid publishing is the halfway point between self-publishing and traditional publishing. Like traditional publishing, a hybrid publishing company handles all aspects of your book publishing and some or all of your book’s marketing and promotion. They often have good relationships with distributors and retailers, increasing your book’s chance of being placed on bookstore shelves.
The difference between hybrid and traditional publishing is that there is no book advance. Instead, the author pays some of the book’s costs, and the publisher picks up the rest. As an author going the hybrid route, you have more say in creative decisions. You also maintain the rights to your work, but depending on the contract/agreement with the hybrid publisher, they may have some say or control over certain aspects of your book or decision-making.
What about the self-publishing options?
DIY, DIY Plus [DIY+], Professional and Assisted Self-Publishing
When you think about self-publishing, you may imagine having to do everything yourself, from proofreading to book layout to writing the book description and even the cover design. Do-It-Yourself, or DIY, is the most hands-on version of self-publishing, and therefore it has the steepest learning curve.
Total DIY self-publishing has the potential for your book to turn out looking less than professional. Consider that some skills needed to publish a book, such as cover design and interior layout design or formatting, are skills only some nonfiction authors have. Design not only requires skill, but it also requires an “eye” or highly developed sense of design aesthetic.
However, there are design templates that you can use as a base, which can shorten the learning curve and could yield better results than trying to DIY your book design from scratch.
Important Self-publishing considerations
Consider that as an established brand, entrepreneur, coach, or consultant looking to use your book to attract high-end clients and opportunities, you will need your book to reflect that high-end aesthetic and professional vibe. That is why you will want to consider DIY+ self-publishing or professional self-publishing.
Other skills you will need to succeed as an author have little to do with publishing. For the DIY and DIY+ self-publishing paths, you will need project management skills: knowing the required tasks and ensuring that you, or any freelancers you hire, get things done correctly and on time.
DIY+ is a middle option between total DIY and professional/assisted self-publishing. With this path, you are still DIYing it but outsourcing certain aspects of the process. For example, you can hire a professional book cover designer and an interior layout designer and handle the rest of the publishing process yourself.
If you are going the DIY + route, this can be a project unto itself, researching, interviewing, vetting, and hiring your book publication team. If this is your first time doing this or you are a novice, hiring a team can be overwhelming and time-consuming.
Like most things, it’s not black-and-white. You can still self-publish but outsource critical tasks like cover design and book formatting. In this case, you would be doing DIY+, where you act as the project manager overseeing the publishing, hiring, and managing as many creative resources as you choose to bring to your book-publishing team.
For DIY+, professional self-publishing, or hybrid publishing options, you’ll need to be able to research, vet, and hire the right creative professionals or team to assist you with your book publishing.
Professional self-publishing, our term for what is also known as assisted self-publishing or guided self-publishing, isa way to get your manuscript published by hiring a publishing consultant or firm to manage the entire process of taking your book content through all the stages of publishing and distribution. It is a done-for-you service, and you retain creative control.
With professional self-publishing, you benefit from experienced guidance and an existing, proven team who can hit the ground running to take your book through the publishing process. This can be a pricier option, often on par with hybrid publishing, but it saves you a lot of time as you don’t have to learn all the ins and outs of publishing a book. You can rely on your consultant or firm to provide guidance and make it happen. This can be a much less stressful route to publishing as you bring on seasoned professionals with years of experience publishing books. It removes the guesswork, overwhelms, and doubts of first-time authors.
In all self-publishing paths, you retain the IP, creative control, final decision-making, and royalties (less what Amazon or other publishing platforms or retailers take).
How to decide if you, as a first-time author should self-publish?
When deciding whether to self-publish as a first-time author, it’s important to consider yourself and what you value. Is having total control important? Then you should self-publish using one of those three options.
Is having an existing team in place a priority? Or are you confident in your ability to hire and manage a team or a few freelancers? If so, DIY or DIY+ self-publishing could work well for you. Otherwise, you’ll want to consider one of the publishing paths with an existing professional team: traditional, hybrid, or professional self-publishing.
What is your time worth? Are you busy running a business and life? While hiring a team or freelancers can seem costly upfront, you have to factor in the cost of your own time. It will take you many hours, especially as a first-time author, to figure out your author’s action plan and how to implement it. It is up to you to decide how best to use your time, as it is a precious commodity.
Do you want guidance, or do you want to figure it out on your own?
The learning curve can be steep, especially the first time you do any new activity. In addition to learning what you need to do, you must invest the time to do the publishing. Again, it’s worth considering whether your time is better spent figuring out your book-publishing process or hiring experienced professionals to guide you and implement the required tasks.
Will the results be as good if you DIY your publishing as those you get from hiring professionals? As with any first-time activity, you don’t know what you don’t know. As long as you accept that there will be some aspects you get wrong, DIY self-publishing can be for you.
Another consideration is the cost. While hiring a professional self-publishing consultant or hybrid publisher may sound expensive, it may end up cheaper than total DIY. I have spoken to many authors who made costly mistakes the first time they self-published and ended up having to redo tasks, paying again for work that had already been done, bringing up the total project budget.
The good news is nowadays, there are numerous publishing and self-publishing options for authors to choose from. Some first-time authors decide to go with professional self-publishing, as they can learn the process by looking over the shoulder of their provider. Then take this knowledge and confidently bring future books to the market using DIY + self-publishing.
I was raised by the best DIYer [Do It Yourselfer] I know—my dad. Sol was a sound engineer by training. He could figure out how to replicate anything or fix anything.
Take our living room wall as an example. My parents had seen a lovely decorative treatment they had fallen in love with. It was made of white bricks -not clunky exterior-type bricks, but narrow bricks with a pattern on the surface.
My mom really wanted to do their living room wall with these stylish bricks, but it was way beyond my parents’ means. So dad set out to find a mold and learn how to hand mold bricks. After trial and error, he settled on plaster as the medium.
I don’t know the exact number needed, but there were over 400 bricks created to cover their wall. Then dad lovingly placed each brick in its place. He was occasionally removing and redoing a few bricks because they didn’t look right to his eagle eyes until the long living room wall was complete.
And the result was stunning, and no one could tell that a DIYer did the wall. Except for a few small spots in the corners, if you looked closely.
Now if Sol were going to write a book today, he would be inclined to DIY all of it – the editing, the layout, the cover design…
That is one of many ways to DIY book publishing for your book. There are degrees of DIY and options. Each one with its pros and cons.
Here are the three ways to DIY book self-publishing:
You can do it all yourself
You can be the ‘project manager’ and outsource various aspects of your book like editing, cover design…
You can hire a team to manage your entire publishing process – we call this Professional Self Publishing. Others call it Assisted Self Publishing.
With each method, the cost rises progressively in terms of dollars spent. With method one, you could self publish with zero dollars spent. But…
There are other costs, though, including the cost of your time spent, the cost of the time spent to learn what you need to do, the cost of the potential mistakes you will make, and the cost of trying to be an expert at all things – which may result in a cover that doesn’t look professionally designed, or result in poor formatting. These can be costly when they impact the results you get from your book.
Method two is appealing as you can save money by ‘project managing’ your publishing process. This can work well if you have hired freelancers before and know how to evaluate their capabilities. However, it also requires communicating to them what you want the result to look like. It can also be stressful, requiring learning new skills such as hiring a team, managing projects, and requesting revisions. The other downside is that it may be more time-consuming than you realize and hard to stick to deadlines.
While method three – outsourcing all of your book publishing can be the most costly monetarily, it is often the least stressful. If you choose wisely, you rely on your trusted team to advise you, guide you, and handle putting your book together and publishing it on schedule and budget, resulting in a professionally produced and published book.
I have seen authors spending more on #1 and #2 due to factors ranging from rookie mistakes, bad hires requiring new hires, money spent to fix errors made, and overspending by buying overlapping services simply because they didn’t understand their requirements well enough.
The other cost to consider is the impact your publishing choice will have on your brand. Will your results match the carefully developed brand that you have spent time building? Will your published look professional enough to attract the high end clients you are looking to attract?
Trying anything new has a learning curve. When you consider how to do self publishing for your book, It’s up to you to decide how to spend your time and dollars best to realize your goal as an author.
To learn more about the how to successfully write, publish and promote your book, join me for The Visionary Author Summit taking place March 20-24th.
Hiring a non-fiction book writing coach can help you easily develop a fledgling book concept into a solid outline, book draft, and finally, a published, successful book
What is a book writing coach?
Specialized writing coaches, also referred to as book coaches or book sherpas, help aspiring authors by guiding them through the book-writing process. They may also help with book publishing and promotion. Working with a book writing coach can help you with your book strategy, developing a book outline, staying organized, keeping you motivated, and holding you accountable. Book writing coaches are not editors, though some may read portions of your work and provide feedback.
Working with a book coach can help make the publishing process simpler and easier to navigate.
The benefits of working with a non-fiction book writing coach
If you’re looking to write a book, you may be wondering if hiring a non-fiction book writing coach is right for you. In general, when you hire a coach, you’re hiring someone with expertise in the subject matter to help you achieve your goals. That’s exactly what a non-fiction book writing coach does. Though not all non-fiction book writing coaches are alike. In this post, we’ll explore the benefits of working with a non-fiction book writing coach, as well as what to look for when you hire one.
If you have the desire, the drive, and the passion to write a book but don’t know where to start, hiring a non-fiction book writing coach can help you go from idea to published author. Since most of them know the entire book-writing process, the right coach can help you navigate it with ease, so you don’t have to do it alone.
An added benefit of a nonfiction book writing coach for business building books, is a coach who has experience and know-how in marketing and promotion. With these skills, they will be able to help you think about how to create a book that will move you towards your author goals more easily, and build these into both your book content and your marketing activities early on.
Why do people want to hire a book coach?
Many people dream of writing a book, and yet a very small percentage write their book and an even smaller percentage go on to publish their book.
There can be many reasons for this from:
Not knowing where or how to start
Not knowing how to turn your idea or content into a cohesive book
Not having a clear vision and plan and getting lost along the way
Getting writer’s block or getting stuck and not knowing what to do to move past it
Self-doubt creeping in and stopping you
Good nonfiction book writing coaches can help you avoid many of these potential obstacles, as well as overcome them if they arise. Some aspiring authors feel they need the accountability of having a dedicated writing coach to keep them on track. Authors also hire a writing coach for their expert guidance in book writing, publishing, and promotion. They know that writing a book is a big undertaking and want to position themselves for success. Hiring a writing coach gives authors a better chance of completing their book, publishing it, and achieving the goals they set for themselves with their book. A book coach can also help authors validate their ideas.
Not all nonfiction book writing coaches are the same
Book writing coaches have different backgrounds and service offerings as well as individual personalities. It is important to understand these before deciding on a coach so that you choose the right one for your needs. Here are a few examples of writing coaches:
Focus solely on your book writing and editing
Help you with your writing and focus on helping you write a book proposal for a traditional publishing deal
Offer book writing, self-publishing, and launch or promotion support
Coaches who focus on the writing and editing of your book can be a big help to make sure that your content is of the highest quality and represents you and your work. For nonfiction, business-building books, these coaches may not offer any insight into or guidance into creating a book that will help grow your business or any strategy for your book’s promotion.
How to choose the right nonfiction book coach
If you’ve decided that hiring a coach to help you write your book is right for you, the next step is to choose the right coach. How do you pick the perfect nonfiction book writing coach? The first thing you want to do is ask yourself what your goals are. What do you want to achieve by hiring a coach to help you write your book? Do you want to earn more money? Do you want to get more clients or increase the reach of your message? Once you know what you want to achieve, the next step is to do your research. A good place to start is with online reviews. There are many online review sites where you can read reviews from other clients who have worked with a coach before. You can also ask other authors of business books if they used a coach, what their experience was, and who they recommend.
Working With a Nonfiction Book Writing Coach to Maximize Results
When you work with a nonfiction book writing coach, you want to make sure you get the most out of the experience. The best way to do that is to follow these four tips for coaching success. First, have a clear vision for the book you’re writing. Some nonfiction book writing coaches like me will work with you to gain total clarity around your book idea. The clearer your vision, the easier it will be for your coach to help guide you.
Next, be open to feedback. Your coach is there to help you and he or she can only do that if you’re open to feedback. Sometimes authors fall in love with an aspect of their books – such as a title or a cover, that doesn’t align with their vision and goals for their book, yet they are reluctant to let it go.
Knowing your author goals before your write your book is a large factor in creating a book that will help you achieve them. If your book writing coach doesn’t offer a book marketing strategy, consider consulting with a book marketing professional in the early stages of your book planning, to ensure that you incorporate key elements into your book and know what you will need to do to promote it, both before and after you publish your book.
Finally, be committed to the process. It takes time to write a book. You’re not going to write a book in a month or two. Be committed to the process and see it through to the end. Know that it is normal to get frustrated or run into a block; that is what your coach is there for – to help you overcome any obstacles and to make the process a better and easier one while guiding you across the finish line.
Tips for Coaching Success
There are two things you can do to ensure coaching success. First, define the process: What does the coaching process look like? How will it work? What will you be doing every step of the way? What does your coach expect from you? What can you expect from your coach? Next, have realistic expectations: What are the milestones you need to hit during the coaching process?
The Writing Process with A Nonfiction Book Writing Coach
The writing process with a nonfiction book writing coach is pretty straightforward. After you hire a coach, you’ll sit down with them and determine to create your book blueprint [to learn more about our self-publishing blueprint process – listen to our podcast The Self Publishing Blueprint.] You’ll also want to discuss your goals and the target audience you want to reach. Deciding on your publishing path – traditional, hybrid, or self-published will help you determine some of the necessary steps. Once you’ve decided on a book concept and goals, the coach will help you outline your book. Many coaches follow a process called “segmenting.” In layman’s terms, this process simply means breaking down your book into digestible pieces.
Once you have a solid outline, it’s time to start writing, with guidance from your coach.
The publishing process with a nonfiction book writing coach
Now that you’ve written your book and have proofread, edited, and rewritten it until you’re happy with it, it’s time to publish a book. This process varies depending on the publishing path you choose to publish your book, as well as whether your coach includes publishing as part of their services. Some coaches will help you self-publish your book, while others may help you write a book proposal so that you can pursue a traditional publishing deal. That is why it is helpful to know the publishing path you want to pursue before hiring a book writing coach.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to write a book, you may be wondering if hiring a nonfiction book writing coach is right for you. In general, when you hire a coach, you’re hiring someone with expertise in the subject matter to help you achieve your goals.
“Stay in your zone of Genius and just hire Jane. I was able to see how to monetize using a book, and it has generated almost six figures worth of revenue to date.”
Wei Houng, Author, CEO of HumanOPs Technologies
That’s exactly what a nonfiction book writing coach does. A nonfiction book writing coach is an experienced writing coach who helps guide you through the entire process of writing a book. In doing so, you can easily develop a fledgling book concept into a solid outline, book draft and finally, a published, successful book. If you hire a nonfiction book writing coach, you have a resource who understands the entire book-writing process and can help you navigate it with ease.
To find out more about our nonfiction book coaching services – start here
Before sitting down to write, ask yourself, “Does my book need a bun?”
Words differently arranged have a different meaning, and meanings differently arranged have different effects” is attributed to Blaise Pascal.
This article first appeared in my newsletter –The Non Fiction Author Lab
Do coaches help you achieve better author results? Does an author need a book coach? A look at the recent Olympic Games can shed some light on the topic.
As the subject matter expert you already are—you could probably just start to write your book, pouring your years of experience, success stories, and wisdom into your manuscript and writing enough words to have a book. For a better outcome, don’t just start to write your book.
I was raised by the best DIYer [Do It Yourselfer] I know—my dad. Sol was a sound engineer by training. He could figure out how to replicate anything or fix anything.
Hiring a non-fiction book writing coach can help you easily develop a fledgling book concept into a solid outline, book draft, and finally, a published, successful book