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3 Ways Establishing a Writing Practice has Improved My Self Awareness

If you have ever thought about building a building a business around your ideas, then increasing your self awareness should be a top priority.

Part of what makes an effective thought leader is the opportunity for the leader to communicate how her ideas separate her from the norm. This requires digging deep into self reflection on what you believe about yourself and the world. That is why writing can be such a useful tool in increasing your self awareness.

I want to share 3 pivotal moments in my life when my skill as a writer unexpectedly led to deeper knowledge of self.

#1 Journaling helped me sort out my feelings.

Around the year 2009, I was going through a series of transitions in my life. I was grieving the death of my mother from breast cancer. I was dropped from a doctoral program. I hated my job in higher education — a career I had spent the last 10 years of my life preparing for. I was dealing with complications from uterine fibroids. And my marriage of 10 years was falling apart.

I wanted to wave a wand and fix it all in one fell swoop. But I quickly learned that adulthood didn’t work that way. I was going to have to crawl out from under the ashes of my own life and figure out a way to build something new.

But what would that new life look like?

I turned to journaling to help me figure it out. Rather than use a paper diary, I decided I would start a small blog to record my thoughts and feelings. I wasn’t new to blogging. At that point, I had been an education blogger since 2004. I was an early adopter of blogging technology. And truthfully, I didn’t expect for anyone to find it.

But I decided I needed a space for more personal expression. My education blog just wasn’t appropriate for that kind of content.

I decided to start a blog chronicling my journey to a healthier life. I was dedicated to learning how to make pancakes from scratch. I took pictures of vegetables I had never seen before during visits to local farmer’s markets. I was finally going to figure out what this whole vegan, vegetarian, and raw vegan movement was about.

But the first day I sat down to write a post, I had to take a pause. I opened up the WordPress content writing space intending to introduce myself to the internet and my new journey. But the only thing I could think to write in that moment was… “I don’t know who I am.”

I was in my early 30’s and I had to admit to myself that I didn’t know who I was, what I wanted, or how to spend the rest of my life. I had gone to school. I got the degrees and certificates. I worked too hard. I stayed out of trouble. I got married. But I was exhausted, about 100 pounds overweight, and angry because I felt like life owed me more than what I was getting.

So rather than continue to write, I surrendered to my feelings and folded my arms on my desk to cradle my forehead. And I cried.

Crying helped to get the raw emotion out of the way leaving room for me to turn back to my laptop and start writing. My first post was called, “I Quit.”

It was a manifesto, of sorts, of what I would and would not tolerate from life anymore. And for the first time I started to create a vision for the life I had been too afraid to ask for.

#2 The best way to use my voice as a writer was to be of service to others.

Living with fibroids as a fat black woman in the US healthcare system often felt like I was begging for someone to see me as human. I desperately wanted to understand why my body was betraying me. I was exhausted from having menstrual cycles that were so heavy that they left me unable to walk from the couch to the front door in my tiny one bedroom apartment. Most doctors I dealt with, no matter the gender or race, treated me like my fibroids were my fault. Their actions told me that if I just lost the weight, the fibroids would go away (not true…).

No one asked me about how my stressful life contributed to my weight. No one asked if I was happy. No one asked about the deep pain in my chest that had been there since my mother died. Just a lot of cold looks, aggravated sighs, and jokes about my lopsided, fibroid-filled belly.

I was expecting to be a quiet voice on my brand new health blog. What I quickly found out was that fibroids was a problem that women all over the world were seeking answers to. My willingness to be open about how my doctors didn’t care about my pain and feeling that my body was being invaded were experiences that my readers could relate to.

I received emails from women across the US, Kenya, Iran, the Caribbean, Nigeria, the Philippines, and more. All of them were hopeful that my willingness to delve into not just my worries, but the hope that I could find something worth teaching in my dedication to a healthy lifestyle. My blog had become a beacon of light for those who had even less information than I had about how fibroids was slowly ruining their lives.

At that point, I had become keenly aware that I had a responsibility to be honest in my communication about my experience. I had been shunned in the US healthcare system, but I created a community of women who trusted my voice. They let me know that I wasn’t crazy for asking for respect and human decency from my healthcare providers. They also affirmed that seeking out a more natural route to good health was an avenue worth exploring.

#3 Writing a book to be exchanged for money was proof that my ideas were valuable.

I had never viewed myself seriously as an entrepreneur until I wrote and sold copies of my first ebook.

After about a year of writing on my health blog, my readers started to ask for a book. They wanted something they could take and apply to their own lives to help them start to relieve their fibroids.

I had always been a great writer, but asking me to write a book felt like a whole new level of writing that I wasn’t prepared to meet. However, as always, life circumstances met opportunity and I was forced into becoming an author.

I was living in New Jersey, at the time, and Hurricane Sandy had just done major damage to much of the east coast. My New York City consulting gig teaching healthy cooking in elementary schools was put on hold. I also had a part-time job as a cook at Whole Foods in Manhattan. But there was no telling when I would be able to get back to work. I experienced sleepless nights wondering how I was going to be able to cover the cost of rent with no income coming in.

I had read all the instant internet fame stories and wondered if I could profit from the audience I had groomed over the last year. My intention wasn’t to make millions. I just needed about $500 to cover my part of the rent.

I racked my brain for days thinking who was I to ask people for money. I didn’t believe I had anything valuable to offer anyone beyond what was already available for free on my blog. What would my readers think of me if I asked them for a few dollars to buy something that I ultimately felt wouldn’t be that good.

But I was desperate.

So I pulled up the courage to send an email to my readers. I laid out a plan for what the book would include and placed a PayPal link at the end of the email. I only asked for $5 for those interested in pre-ordering. I hit “send” and went to bed, fully expecting not to have sold any books.

The next morning I woke up, dressed, and made breakfast. I opened up my busted laptop that was on its last leg and checked my email. I saw a pile of emails from strangers who willingly parted with their hard-earned $5.

I was floored.

That first day I sold about $100 worth of books. Over the next few weeks I was able to pull in enough money to cover my rent plus a little more.

That moment proved to me that my thoughts, my ideas, my experiences all had value. After a lifetime of allowing myself to be pushed to the side and discounted, I had finally found a space where my work was considered revolutionary and a welcome contribution to the world. My readers were so excited, in fact, that they were willing to part with $5 to get the book before it had even been written.

I’ve had many epiphanies about my life and what I am here on earth to do since those early days of my writing career. I’ve learned that growing your self awareness is a deliberate activity that asks that you go out and live your life and make all the mistakes in order to get the biggest benefit. I no longer expect life to serve me. I take full responsibility for the life I create on this plane.

I’m no longer living in New Jersey blogging for free. Now I’m a full-time business book ghostwriter, journalist, and content marketer. I have a location-independent business in Vietnam and currently preparing to relocate to Rwanda in the coming months. I am planning to become a land investor so that I never have to worry about not having rent money ever again. I found spiritual healing while living in Thailand. I explored ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples in Cambodia. I’ve gone paragliding over emerald treetops in northern Vietnam. I’ve done 10-day silent meditation retreats in Thailand and ran from strangers tasked with dousing me with ice cold water during Songkran in Myanmar. I’ve even picked up watercolor painting to help me wind down before bed. I live a full life finding new ways to express my joy everyday.

Join my community of Rebel Thought Leaders!

If you’ve got ideas you want to share that go against the norm, then you are in the right place! Take your valuable knowledge and learn how to create opportunities that can help you live the life of your dreams.

Download my free gift… 7 Keys to Writing a Self-Help Book that Grows Your Business.

How to Write Client Attracting Blog Posts — The Easy Way…

I frequently walk business authors, consultants, experts, and other business owners through the process of writing blog content to help them grow their business. This often occurs after they’ve written a few blog posts and are left wondering why they are not getting the traffic they thought they would.

Blog content can be an effective way to get people to notice you, but it’s not necessarily quick — especially if you are new to the blogging space. Blogging is definitely a long-term game.

Many of your favorite brands took years to develop a following through blogging. The most effective brands are the ones that have a real strategy for blog content creation and are consistent with production. Allow me to walk you through the thinking process that will help you create blog posts that are both effective and quick to generate.

What’s your goal for creating blog content?

Blog content can help you accomplish any number of goals in business. Do you want to:

  • Obtain more customers
  • Increase brand awareness
  • Notify customers of a new product or service
  • Share your expertise
  • Book more speaking gigs

Knowing what you want as a result of other people reading your blog content will help you create content for a directed purpose.

What kind of blog topics can I generate that meet my goals?

I always say to start with what your audience asks for. What are the common questions that always come up when working with customers? Start by creating a list of frequently asked questions that you can point a potential customer to every time you get the same question.

Let’s look at an example…

Let’s say that you are a children’s mental health expert and your ultimate business goal is to book more speaking gigs. You will want to create blog posts that answer your client’s questions, but also center you as knowledgeable in the field of children’s mental health. Here are a few common questions that may come up as well as blog topics that meet your reader’s needs:

  • Problem or question: My first grader is not reading like other kids and it’s affecting his self-esteem. What can I do to help?
  • Blog Post: How to Develop a Love for Reading in Your Child Before They Start School
  • Client Problem: My sons have become so difficult to manage after my divorce. What should I do to get order back in my house?
  • Blog Post: How to Effectively Support Your Son’s Growth and Development as a Single Mom
  • Client Problem: My daughter and I were so close when she was in elementary school. Now that she’s in middle school, all she does is shut the door to her room. How can I get her to open up?
  • Blog Post: What to Do When Your Pre-Teen Won’t Talk to You
  • Client Problem: My kids are looking at inappropriate websites online. I thought they were too young to know about sex. What should I do?
  • Blog Post: When is the Best Age to Talk to Your Children About Sex?
  • Client Problem: My mother is in and out of the hospital and my children are having anxiety about losing their grandmother. How do I ease their fears?
  • Blog Post: How to Prepare Your Children for the Death of a Loved One

These are examples of evergreen content that will always be useful to your audience. These are questions parents will have today and ten years from now. Crafting your response to these questions is a great way to differentiate yourself from other child mental health experts.

Don’t have any clients yet to farm questions from? Do some online research and hang out where your audience hangs out. This can include Facebook and Linkedin groups, Reddit forums, parenting blogs, medical forums and more. You can also venture out into the real world and attend conferences, meet-ups, local and international events related to your area of interest, and more. Keep a notebook handy and write down the questions people ask again and again. What kind of blog content can you write to answer their questions?

How can you make the blog content easier to consume?

Now that you know what your audience wants to read, now is the time to figure out what kind of content will satisfy their needs. There are probably hundreds of ways to help your audience consume your blog content, however I will share five here.

  1. Tutorials: How-to lessons on how to do something
  2. Data-Driven Content: obtain and explain research from highly reputable sources in a way that helps your audience understand a problem
  3. Visual Content: Videos, infographics, slides, etc. that illustrate a point
  4. Interviews with Experts: Interview people who are highly esteemed in your field OR interview professionals who compliment what you do
  5. Newsjacking: Take stories from the news and make them relevant to your industry

These are just a few ways to make your blog content relevant to your readers. Take some time to determine what your audience needs and figure out what method will be most helpful.

What’s your plan for getting your blog content in front of the right readers?

Next is figuring out how to get your content in front of readers. Why? Because what’s the point of spending all this time and energy on planning out the right content and no one reads it?

There are literally thousands of ways to get your blog posts in front of more readers. However I want to share three that have made a difference for many of my clients.

Share your posts on social media and larger platforms.

Social media is a great place to start to share your work online. One thing you need to decide is what platforms make the best sense for you to distribute your content. Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook? Find out what platforms your audience is using and be sure to share your posts there. Increase your chances of being found by using hashtags.

Be a consistent blogger.

If you want to stay top of mind, then you need to ensure that you share content on a consistent basis — that could be daily or weekly. No matter what it is, make sure you stick to your schedule so that your audience will have a chance to get used to you being there. There is so much noise in the online space that people tend to forget who you are and what you do very easily. Make them remember you by offering helpful content on a consistent basis.

Utilize SEO.

SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of utilizing internet search engines to help people find you, your service, or product. This is a fairly basic definition of it. However the “how-to” of SEO can be a bit complicated for those that are not familiar.

SEO, at its core, is about helping people find content that answers their questions. That’s why I begin the blog content creation process by figuring out what your clients or your audience needs first, THEN figuring out how you can meet those needs. Take note of keywords and phrases that read naturally to how your audience communicates.

Writing blog content that actually gets read is not always as easy as people may want to make it. To do it well means that you have a strong strategy in place that changes as your influence grows with it. The key here is to put in the work in the beginning, then the actual creation of the blog posts will seem much more effortless once you have a direction.

Are you interested in creating content that builds your brand? Download 7 Keys to Writing a Self-Help Book That Grows Your Business.

Will Writing a Book Help Me Build My Credibility as an Expert?

Yes, writing books absolutely does build your credibility as an expert. However, you can’t just write the book, place it on Amazon and expect to become a world-renowned authority in your area of expertise overnight. Facebook and Linkedin are riddled with new authors who pepper their news feed with desperate “buy my book” pleas. Unfortunately, most people aren’t paying attention.

The key to building credibility is to also build an audience who needs what you have to offer. How do you do that?

#1 Know who you want to serve.

Who do you serve? What do they need? What is bothering them so bad that they are willing to pay for your support? For many of us, this takes some time to figure out, however it’s time well spent. If you write your book before having a good handle on who your audience is, then you waste a lot of time talking to any and everyone who will listen (which is usually nobody…).

#2 What book can you write to position yourself as a credible expert for this audience?

I always start with what your audience is asking you to write. What are the questions that come up often? Can you put together a book that will serve their needs and introduce you as the most logical solution?

Do some research on books that have already been written in your area of expertise. What made these books successful? Check out the reader comments on Amazon. Look for clues on how you can use the reader responses to guide your approach to writing your book.

#3 Look for ways to build a relationship with your audience.

The benefit of building an audience while you write your book is that you have an opportunity to test your materials out on real people who already like you. Ask questions on social media related to your topic and see what kind of responses you get. Share short articles about your topic on Linkedin and Medium. Close each article with a question to get people talking in the comments section.

Writing a book is a small part of the authority building equation. However, the time you put into it is well worth the effort. When done correctly, it will pay you back in the way of opportunities to touch lives. I know from experience that there is no greater feeling than connecting with a person who took the time to not just read your book, but also implemented your suggestions and shared it with their friends and colleagues.

Are you ready to write your book? Download this free gift: 7 Keys to Writing a Self-Help Book that Grows Your Business.

How to Make Your Self-Published Nonfiction Book Look Like a New York Times Best Seller

Independent publishing has become a more acceptable route for experts to publish books that meet the needs of their audiences. However, independent publishing, or self-publishing, does not equate to publishing books that look and read unprofessional.

So what does a coach, speaker, trainer, or consultant do when she wants to write and independently publish a nonfiction book that looks like it can compete with a New York Times Best Seller? You don’t have to search any further than the best selling books on your favorite book store shelves.

Start paying closer attention to a few details in your favorite nonfiction self-help book titles. This will help you learn what works with books that are commercially popular. Use these books to pick up clues that tell you what makes a good book in the eyes of the reader. There are certain details that you will see over and over again — but you have to pay attention.

Let’s take a look at a few of the details any active reader of nonfiction self-help books should be paying attention to the next time you visit your favorite book store or log on to Amazon.

#1. Examine the title. A good nonfiction title gives the reader the promise of the book. What is the author claiming to help the reader do? A good title may also mention WHO the targeted reader is. You may also find self-help book titles that give the reader a time frame by which they can expect change to take place.

Here are a few examples of winning self-help book titles:

  • How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie
  • The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Jack Canfield
  • The Whole30: The 30 Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom by Urban and Hartwig

Action Step: Take some time to look at Amazon or visit your local book store at books in your area of expertise. What nonfiction titles stand out the most to you? Can you tell what the book is about just by reading the title? How long is the title? Does the author make use of the sub-title to give you a better idea of what to expect from the book?

#2. Read the back of the cover copy. Once a reader is hooked by the title of a self-help book, she often turns the book over to find out what the book is about. If you are looking the book up on Amazon, that means you turn your eyes to the book description.

Here, you will find the gist of the book boiled down to a few sentences. They may start off by asking the reader a question to help them qualify if this is the book for them.

You may also find a list of highly targeted, short bullet points that explain what the reader can expect to learn.

Action Step: Examine the book cover copy of a few books in your genre. Is there a headline? Is the copy easy to scan with your eyes so you don’t have to read every word? What emotions do you feel reading the copy?

#3. Pay attention to the table of contents to see what the book covers. The next thing a reader may do is crack open the book to go through the table of contents. This is where the reader can skim the chapter headings to find out whether there is specific information that may be relevant to the problem they are looking to solve.

Action Step: Take a look at the table of contents of the nonfiction books in your area of expertise. If you are using Amazon, you can use the “Look Inside” feature by clicking on the book cover. Notice how long the chapter headings are. What keywords are being used here? Does the author list sub-headings for content that is more complicated?

#4. What can you learn from looking at the book cover? The cover of your book matters (no matter what the cliche says…). What colors did the author use? Does the author use a picture of her face or full body picture on the cover? Or maybe the author chose to use an abstract picture of something that’s related to the topic as the cover? Is the font easy to read? How does the font make you feel when you look at it?

Action Step: Take a picture or a screenshot of some of your favorite book covers and lay them out, side-by-side. What are some of the elements you enjoy about these nonfiction book covers? How does the title of the book appear on the cover? How does the cover make you feel?

#5. What is the tone of the language used in the book? The tone is all about the manner in which the writer chooses to speak to the reader. Does the author use sarcasm to talk about a life threatening illness? Is the tone more formal like a textbook, or does the author prefer to write as if she is having a one-on-one conversation with the reader?

Here’s a great example of two different tones used in the title of a book.

  • The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
  • The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle

The author of the first title is clearly a carefree spirit who doesn’t mind having a strong curse word thrown around for attention. I’m quite sure you won’t even find a curse word in Tolle’s book. However, both books are quite successful and have an audience of readers that gravitate to the style of writing that speaks to them.

Action Step: What tone do you prefer to write with? What new writers often do is copy the tone of another successful author in order to feel like they are “doing it right.” However, I like to guide my authors to use the tone they speak with when addressing their clients. If you use dry jokes in talking with clients, use dry jokes in the book. If you preface your lessons with stories from your childhood, feel free to do that in your book. Use this time to think about what your tone is the next time you talk to a client. Note what feels natural to you.

If you are going to be reading books for your own personal development (and I’m sure you do if you consider yourself to be an expert…), you may as well start paying attention to the elements that made you gravitate towards that title in the first place. Becoming a more active reader will help you to figure out what your readers enjoy in the books they read so you can replicate some of those same classic elements in your own self-help book.

Are you looking for guidance on how to write a professional nonfiction book? I am currently taking appointments with serious experts seeking ghostwriting and book coaching support. Email me at Hello@DigitalWellPublisher.com and tell me more about your project.

How Do I Know if My Book Idea Will Sell?

I find that a lot of the book writing advice is geared towards marketers who are interested in doing the least amount of work possible to sell a book fast. In short, they look for a topic on Amazon, see what’s selling like hotcakes, then hire someone in the Philippines to write a 75-page book for $42 USD (and I’m not even exaggerating…).

However, thought leaders think a bit differently about the ideas they want to share with the world, so those “get rich with no effort” publishing schemes don’t apply here.

Thought leaders think deeply about the ideas they want to share. You’ve spent a number of years in a particular industry so you’ve witnessed all the developments — for better or worse — and you have an idea that can potentially revolutionalize how people work with one another. Maybe you’ve had an experience and you sat back and said, “If only people knew what I knew, they wouldn’t have to go through such hard times…” Or maybe you’ve gotten really great at doing a “thing” and you’re tired of watching other people bump into the same wall over and over again trying to find success.

These are all legitimate reasons to write a book. But how do you know if your book is going to sell? Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you get started.

#1 Do you have an audience of people who want to hear what you have to say?

When I start talking about building a personal brand, some people get turned off. And it’s usually because they look at personal brand building as more of a narcissistic self-promotion campaign rather than the leadership building exercise it is.

Creating a powerful personal brand has attracted a number of opportunities to me that I wasn’t necessarily looking for. I’ve been invited to teach classes on blogging, speak at major events related to my expertise, train and consult, write books for others, and more. While other people were getting laid off from their jobs mostly due to no fault of their own, a powerful personal brand has always helped to keep my eyes on opportunity rather than wallow in fear.

When you have a powerful personal brand, you start to build up an audience of people who support your work. And here’s the most powerful point of a personal brand that a lot of people miss: Your audience will tell you what they want you to write about! When you thoughtfully create a personal brand that attracts the right audience, they will tell you the exact book they want you to write. You share your book writing process with them via email and social media to keep them in the loop and they’ll be able to celebrate on the date of your book release by buying a copy.

#2 Are people buying books in your area of expertise?

This is where Amazon comes in handy. Do a search to see what has already been written on your topic or industry. Have people left comments on these books? Make note of what they are saying. What did they enjoy most about reading this book? What do they wish was included in the book?

#3 How can you spin your book to serve a certain niche that is underserved?

Your success is in your niche. For example, I’m a ghostwriter who focuses specifically on thought leaders who want to write nonfiction self-help books to grow their coaching, consulting, or training business. I use my expertise as a freelance content marketer for Fortune 100 companies and tech startups to help thought leaders create content that builds an audience. My nonfiction self-help book niche is a lot more focused than a lot of other ghostwriters I see who market to any and everyone who needs a book. There’s nothing wrong with being multi-talented and being able to write in a number of genres. I’ve just homed in on where I can be most helpful.

You can do the same thing with your book. Are you a finance expert? Instead of writing another general book on budgeting, how about creating a guide to making and saving money by starting your own business while still in college. Are you a life coach? Please don’t write another book on 5 steps to finding happiness. Your book will be a lot more attractive if you niche it down to helping newly divorced women easily transition into life as a single woman (as an example…).

#4 Do you have something more than just a book to sell?

Books sell better when you have a product or service to go with it. Are you a speaker? Ask the event organizer to buy 500 copies of your book as part of your speaking fee. Do you offer online classes? Give a signed copy of your book to everyone who enrolls. Are you a corporate consultant? Give away (as in for free) a copy of your book to companies who are serious about working with you. The fee they pay you to be a consultant will more than cover the cost of the book. Plus, giving away the book is an opportunity for you to share your genius with them in a way that most consultants don’t do — making you stand out from the rest of the pack!

Write Books Specifically for Your Audience

I write specifically for thought leaders who want to do more than just write a book and wait for the money to roll into your bank account. You’re a world-changer, a firestarter, a mold-breaker! You are more interested in creating a legacy while still being paid handsomely for the value you bring to the world.

That means that you thoughtfully write books and create content that is attached to marketing goals that attract real readers who want to hear what you have to say.

I’ve got more opportunities to work with me 1-on-1 and in groups coming up ahead in the coming months. I invite you to stay in touch to get more book writing and content marketing advice that is made specifically for thought leaders like you.

Download your free ebook, 7 Keys to Writing a Self-Help Book That Grows Your Business.

How to Publish a Self-Help Book in 10 Steps

If you are working as a coach of any kind, then you’ve probably read a few self-help books in your quest for your own self-improvement. Whether you wanted to get healthy, have a better relationship, be a star player at the job, or even build your business, self-help books can be a real boost to your self esteem.

According to Nielsen Book Research, 3 million self-help books were sold last year — an increase of 20%! So why are self-help books so popular? It could be a sign of the times. People are looking for ways to cope with the stress of life. There are literally millions of people all over the world who are looking for ways to show up better than they did yesterday.

So why should coaches write a self-help book?

  • Self-help books are a low-cost entry product to get to know you. Most self-help books–whether in print or ebook format–cost around $20 to $30. That’s price that people can afford. It’s a great way for people to own a piece of your work without feeling like they have to commit thousands of dollars to your coaching program.
  • Self-help books benefit your personal branding strategy. Coaches who write books are viewed as experts. It gives the media something to point to that says — hey! this person knows what she’s talking about! Your credibility goes high when you have a world-class book that speaks to your ideal client.
  • Self-help books sell your other products and services. If you can hook a reader in to buy your book, then they will more than likely be interested in all the other products and services you offer. People need more than just one book to solve their problems. What your self-help book does for people is give them a signal that you are here to support them to reach their goals.
  • A well-written self-help book separates you from other coaches in your industry. I’m quite sure that you’ve noticed that the coaching industry is growing everyday. When you get focused on your niche, it makes it possible to write a book that automatically draws you to the top of the pile. Why? Because not everyone is willing to put in the work to write a world-class book. But you do…

Lots of coaches have a strong idea of what they want to write about, but don’t know where to begin with the actual writing and self publishing process. Allow me to share my ten steps to publishing a self-help book.

Step 1: What Should You Do Before Writing Your Self-Help Book?

There are a few questions you should be asking yourself before getting down to the business of writing a self-help book. Skipping these questions could cost you time, money, and wasted energy on writing the wrong book for the wrong audience.

  1. What is your motivation for writing a self-help book?
  2. For whom are you writing this self-help book?
  3. How do you envision your book helping you grow your coaching business?
  4. How will you get your book into the hands of those who need it most?
  5. How will you continue to market your book once the initial excitement is over?

I discuss these BIG QUESTIONS with my coaching clients during our clarity calls. Why? Because it helps to talk these big ideas out loud with someone who can help you think big. Your self-help book is a legacy that can continue to help people long after you are dead and buried — if you do it the right way. Asking the right questions will help you clarify your vision for your book and help you develop a business plan that can keep you busy for AT LEAST the next 5 to 10 years.

Step 2: What Is the Main Theme of Your Self-Help Book?

Let’s start thinking about the major theme of your health book. Getting this right will save you from writing a book that no one wants to read. This means that you are clear on who you are and what your audience is interested in reading.

  1. What is your book about in 3 to 5 sentences?
  2. What result do you want your readers to experience after reading your book?
  3. Have you already written on this topic before (blog posts, presentations, etc.)? What kind of feedback did you get from your audience?

Don’t have an audience yet? Then you may want to hold off on writing a book and opt to do smaller writing projects instead. Blogging, writing an ebook, producing a podcast are just a few of the creative ways you can start creating free helpful content you can use to build an email list. The people on your list will clue you in on what they want to learn from you. I’m not telling you to put off writing a book for the next 5 years… It just means that you should put in the work of at least 6 months to a year of consistent audience building before you begin writing your first self-help book. I can help you with your initial audience building during a clarity call.

Have you already written your self-help book and still don’t have an audience? Make an appointment with me ASAP so I can get you started.

Step 3: Write Your Self-Help Book Outline

Writing an outline for your self-help book is essential to getting it done in the most efficient way possible. A book outline is a map of how you want to present your material in some kind of logical order. Your outline can be flexible throughout the book writing process. For example, if you need to rename a chapter, move it to another location, or add another chapter in at the last minute then you can do so without too much worry. You just want to create a solid outline from the very beginning to ensure that you narrow the scope of your book to something that won’t overwhelm you as a writer, or those who have to read it.

Step 4: Evaluate Your Self-Help Book Outline

Now that you have written an outline you are happy with, let’s evaluate what information you have versus what you need to research. Go back and gather the materials you already have written from step two.

  1. How can you plug these materials that have already been written into your outline?
  2. What other research do you need to do in order to complete the book?

This is the step where many coaches joyfully realize that they don’t have to start writing their book from scratch. It is perfectly acceptable to pull from what you have already created and build from there.

Step 5: Begin Writing Your Self-Help Book

All your book writing activities should begin with a schedule. If you want to ensure that your book actually gets completed, then you’ll want to create a writing schedule.

  1. Pull out your calendar and pick a date by which you plan to complete the writing of your book. Do you have an event coming up where you want to sell your books in the back of the room? Be sure to give yourself enough time to get your book edited, create a cover, and go through the process of publishing. Those final details can take anywhere from an added 6 weeks to 3 months — so plan accordingly.
  2. When is the best time for you to write? Morning? Lunch time? Late evenings? I recommend you write DAILY to ensure that you keep your momentum going — even if it’s just 15 to 30 minutes per day. If you stop and start every few days, you take the risk of getting distracted. I understand that life happens, however it’s up to you to do your best to honor your goal and your reason for writing your book in the first place. Pull out your calendar and create a writing schedule you can stick with.
  3. Write. It really all comes down to this one action. Writers write. Procrastinators get nothing done. Pick which one you want to be.

Step 6: Edit Your Self-Help Book

The reason why many people have trouble with the writing process is because they are censoring their thoughts and editing as they write. So you just want to make sure that you write first, edit later. Here’s some tips to get you through editing.

  1. You can choose to edit after writing each chapter, or edit after writing the entire book. I prefer the former simply because it allows me to chop up the process into manageable parts. However you may prefer to write the entire book, then go back later — it’s completely up to you.
  2. Hire a professional editor. Having another set of eyes on your work is invaluable to ensuring that your book is polished and professional.

Step 7: Design a Professional Book Cover

Never underestimate the power of a great book cover — especially in today’s internet economy. You can’t get away with book covers that look homemade anymore. There are several ways for you to get a great book cover at a variety of prices. Here are a few suggestions:

  1. Canva.com: If you are the least bit artistic, you may want to try creating a book cover on your own. Look at the ready-made templates to get you started. But only do this if you absolutely have to.
  2. Fiverr.com: Everything on this site is $5+ per service. However remember that you get what you pay for. Get recommendations from friends who say they got an awesome service for best results.
  3. GoOnWrite.com: The guy who runs this site creates beautiful book covers starting at $45 using stock photos.
  4. Hire a designer. You can go on sites like Upwork.com or do an internet search to find a graphic designer or illustrator who can create a great book cover from $50 to $200 or more.

Step 8: Get the Interior of Your Self-Help Book Designed and Formatted

Now that the outside of your book is beautiful, we can work on getting the inside just as lovely. Your book — whether in printed or ebook form — should never look like a Microsoft Word document. You can hire someone to use Adobe InDesign to create a proper design on the inside of the book for you. You can also choose a DIY option by purchasing a book formatting template using MS Word or Adobe InDesign. Click here to download your DIY Book Design Templates. Once the interior is designed, a professional book formatter can create files for both ebook and print versions of your self-help book.

Step 9: Final Proofread

Before you pay to print your book or turn it into an ebook file, it’s important to ensure that you get one final proofread to catch any last minute mistakes. You and a proofreader should give your book one last read before hitting the PUBLISH button.

Step 10: Publish

Congratulations! You’ve made it to the finish line! Now you are ready to publish. Here’s a few options I recommend to my clients:

  1. Ebooks can be published as a PDF on your website as well as published on other distribution sites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. You can go to these websites to find instructions on how to do so.
  2. Print books can be published in a multitude of ways. You can go to your local printer and have it done old school style. You can also use a system like Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing. Finally you can go to another publishing and distribution company like IngramSpark to reach international audiences.

And that’s it!!! {Can you sense my sarcasm here???}

Publishing a self-help book can be a bear. That’s why I’m here to help you through the process.

If you are ready to move forward with writing your self-help book, I’m ready to support you. The best way for me to support you is with a clarity call. Here’s a link to my schedule. Click now so we can get started.

How Much Does It Cost to Edit My Book?

How much to pay editors is often an issue of contention for many of the self-published authors I speak to. They want to write a book that is worthy of being published, however when they start to shop around for editors, they have no idea what they are looking for in a good editor or how much to pay.

It’s important for self-published authors to understand that no professional editor will ever work for a percentage of book sales. The reason is that you have no way of predicting whether any of your books will ever sell. Most authors interested in self-publishing believe that if they put the book on Amazon and link it to their Facebook page, the book will magically sell like hotcakes.

The truth is that most first-time self-published authors are lucky to sell $500 worth of books. How much of a percentage of that do you want to give to your editor? It is imperative that self-published authors educate themselves on how to build an audience that is interested in the kind of books they want to write, then be sure to pay your editors as part of your self-publishing team. Asking an editor to accept a percentage of book sales is just not logical.

What I find when speaking to authors who are interested in self-publishing is that they have no clue of what editing is. As a matter of fact, they often believe that editing is simply proofreading — meaning they fix a few errors in grammar and spelling. The truth is that proofreading is the last stop in the editing process.

What are the steps in the editing process and how much does it cost?

#1 The Self-Edit

The first step in the editing process is the self-edit. This is where the author, herself, takes her manuscript and reads it through several times answering the following questions:

  1. Does the book meet the needs of the reader?
  2. Is there consistency in the plot or story?
  3. Is there redundancy in language?
  4. Are my sentences clean and easy to read?
  5. Are there any blatant mistakes in grammar, spelling, and punctuation?

I often suggest taking a break from the book once you declare the writing portion to be complete. Leave the manuscript alone for at least two weeks so you can look at it with fresh eyes.

Next, print the manuscript and review it with a pen in hand. Mark it up as much as possible. Interacting with your own text is another way to help you look at your work from a new angle. You want to be confident that you hand over the best manuscript possible to a professional editor.

The price for the self-edit is absolutely free aside from the investment of your own time.

#2 The Manuscript Evaluation

The second step in the editing process is a manuscript evaluation. This step is NOT mandatory, but may be beneficial to the success of your self-published book — especially if you are low on funds.

The purpose of the manuscript evaluation is to give the author a critique of some of the more obvious issues going on with your book. This may have to do with holes in the story, consistency in the plot, etc.

I have known self-published authors to get the manuscript evaluation done once the book is completely written, OR when you have hit a wall in your writing process and you need some assistance to keep going. A good manuscript evaluation can pose some great questions that will move you out of your writer’s block and back into finishing your book.

You should note that the editor performing the manuscript edit does not read your manuscript from cover to cover. She is simply skimming for the obvious issues that need to be brought to your attention. It will be your responsibility, as the author, to take her critique and make the adjustments on your own.

The price for the manuscript evaluation can be in the low range from $300 to $500 all the way through several thousands of dollars.

#3 The Developmental Edit

The third step in the editing process is a developmental edit. This is where you, the author, hire an editor that specializes in developmental editing. The developmental editor looks for consistency in your story. Have all the characters been addressed in the book, or did someone magically disappear? If you are a nonfiction author, you want to make sure that the process or story you tell is consistent. Did you satisfactorily tell your story about how you became a gluten-free living enthusiast, for example, or did you jump right into how to bake a gluten-free cake? You may also see other editors refer to this step in the editing process as the ‘structural edit’ or the ‘substantive edit.’

The price of a developmental edit varies. I’ve seen editors charge per word, by the page, or even by the hour (which I do not recommend). As a developmental editor, I charge by the page. A full page in a manuscript is read at about 300 words per page as an industry standard. That means that if you hand me a manuscript typed in Microsoft Word, then it will be about 400 to 500 words per page. I will ask you to arrange your manuscript so that it will have about 300 words per page. I charge a minimum of $1500 for a manuscript of 75 to 100 pages (depending upon the topic). I ask the author to invest in the manuscript evaluation first so that I can get a feel for how much work needs to be done, then I let them know the price for a full developmental edit.

#4 The Line Edit

The line edit ensures the fluidity of your language. Some items the line editor is looking for is run-on sentences, misuse or over-use of words, tightening of language, and more.

The price of the line edit varies. However, you can expect to pay a quality line editor at least $1000 for their work.

#5 The Copyedit

This stage of the editing process is more technical in nature. This is where we get into spelling, grammar, syntax, consistency in facts, etc.

The price of a good copyeditor will cost you at least $500 or more for a manuscript of about 100 pages.

#6 The Proofread

The final stage in the editing process is the proofread. At this point, your manuscript has gone through all the other stages in the editing process. If you want to ensure that your book has a professional layout, you can pay someone to do that for you. You can also get your cover done by a professional graphic artist or illustrator at this time.

The final proofread is where the editor goes through the manuscript to ensure that there are no lingering embarrassing mistakes. Once the proofread is over, the manuscript is sent to a printer or ebook provider to prepare for distribution to the public.

The cost of a proofreader can be about $300 to $500 for a book of about 100 pages.

What does this mean for authors who want to be self-published and are strapped for cash?

If you are an author who is strapped for cash, that means that you have to leave room for mistakes in the editing process. I’m not saying that your book will be riddled with obvious mistakes. However, if you want a book that looks just as great as a traditionally published book, but are not willing to invest the money into the process, then you will be frustrated with the results. If you pay attention, you will find that even traditionally published books have a few mistakes in the final printed book. So don’t fret over what you can or cannot do with your budget. Your focus should be on writing the best book possible, then sharing it with those who need to hear your message.

At the very least, invest in a manuscript edit and commit yourself to making the edits on your own. Try finding a student in the English department at a local university that may be interested in editing your book for a lower price.

Remember that editing a manuscript is a group process that takes several months to complete, at best. Be creative with your resources and I think you’ll be able to publish a book that is worthy of being read by your audience.

What Leaders Can Learn from These Global Tech Giants About How to Respond to Controversial Political News

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

TechCrunch recently published a roundup of statements from global tech giants condemning US public policy leading to families separated at the border. Responses were published as expert interviews in national newspapers, formal statements on corporate blogs, and, of course, 280-character long tweets.

Consumers have come to expect that the more well-known entrepreneurial tech leaders of the world like Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Brian Chesky of AirBnB to take a stand on issues of moral concern, particularly when the issue directly involves their company. Zuckerberg recently came under fire after a voter targeting firm utilized private data from 50 million Facebook users without their consent. You may also recall Chesky’s creation of an anti-bias policy in 2016 after receiving complaints from black travelers who experienced racism while choosing an AirBnB host.

But how do we, as entrepreneurs, respond to political issues that don’t involve us directly, but rather force us to question our morals? Business networking and consumer sales best practices tell us to shy away from politics, religion, and other controversial issues that can create unnecessary divisions between employees and customers. But how do you, as a leader, decide when it is appropriate to speak up? Take a few hints from these global tech leaders.

Stand on your company values, not political debates.

According to Harvard Business Review, it’s important for entrepreneurs to have a clear value statement that resonates with their consumers for purposes of brand recognition and relationship building.

For example, one of Airbnb’s values starts with making people feel like they belong.

For Chesky, belonging is not just an Airbnb value; it’s an American ideal that should be honored by all. Notice how he stays away from condemning the president as a person, and instead calls on the US government to do what is right. Chesky isn’t afraid to talk about what he sees in the news and social media — “(r)ipping children from the arms of their parents…” He’s letting his followers know that belonging is more than just a boring values statement; it’s a value that stems from a personal, moral conviction to do what is right. Furthermore, Chesky turned the tweet into an official statement by attaching an image that is signed by his fellow co-founders and stamped with the Airbnb logo.

Communicate using your personal social media account of choice.

In a world where social media moves faster than official news outlets, entrepreneurs have to remember that there is no separation between you, the person, and your business. If you have ever been confused about whether to post on Twitter or elsewhere as yourself or your company, this piece of advice should make the decision easier for you.

Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, uses her personal Twitter account to point her followers to organizations that are working on the ground with migrant families. YouTube has a main Twitter account and several hub accounts that focus on different arms of the company. At the time of writing this article, Wojcicki chooses to keep her political viewpoints on her personal Twitter account while other YouTube accounts focus on YouTube related projects.

Make it personal. How does the issue affect you, as a human? Your employees? Your customers?

Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber, takes a slightly different approach to his tweet by utilizing part of his personal story.

Khosrowshahi is more than just the leader of a tech company. He says he’s responding as “a father, a citizen immigrant…” He links to a Washington Post story where the leading image is of a crying migrant child looking up at two adults. The photo is taken at the child’s eye level and it seems that the two adults are carrying on a conversation, unbothered by the crying toddler. It’s not hard to see that this issue hits home for this tech CEO.

Another point to note here is that your story as a CEO may very well reflect that of your employees and customers. Not responding to issues such as this may alienate some of your employees, making it difficult for them to be productive. The same goes for your customers. Choosing to be proactive on your response to political and controversial issues reinforces your customers’ loyalty to your brand.

Focus on actionable steps to solve the problem.

Look at John Zimmer, co-founder of Lyft, as an example of taking appropriate action that also happens to promote the company’s service. Zimmer used his personal Twitter account to share how Lyft is offering free rides to those directly involved with organizations who are on the front lines of supporting migrant families in need.

If you take the time to review Zimmer’s Twitter account, you will find that this kind of community involvement at Lyft is business as usual. He makes it clear that he, and Lyft as a default, actively supports quality causes that celebrate the spirit of community.

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg made a donation to his preferred organizations from his own pocket and asked that others in the Facebook community to follow suit.

Organizations like Texas Civil Rights Project and RAICES are doing great work helping families at the US border get…

Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Attract top talent by putting your values in motion.

These tech leaders demonstrate that your company values should never be reduced to a cold statement buried in your website. Your company values statement should be a living, breathing document, exercised daily and captured in various forms of media for all to see. Not only is it good for business, but it can also attract top talent.

SHRM cites a study that says your values are a permanent part of your company culture, a plus when it comes to attracting new employees. This finding is a departure from past studies that placed company benefits as the primary reason why job seekers flock to a particular company. Millennials, in particular, are looking for a company they can feel good about working at. So don’t be afraid to take a stand on issues it makes most sense for you to address directly.

How to Move Past Rejection and Not Look Like a Sore Loser in Business

When you’ve decided to make freelance writing your business, you have to accept that rejection will be a part of the package. However there are those opportunities that you KNOW are PERFECT for you in every way. It’s like you were born for this. Yet still, here you are with another rejection email clogging up your inbox. It feels like a kick to the gut. Literally.

Psychologists have done research into social rejection and exclusion and they say that that kicked in the gut feeling is real. Your brain reads rejection in a similar way that it reads physical injury. Being rejected can have a serious impact on your emotions, your ability to think, and even your physical health. That’s why it’s important to prepare yourself for the inevitable.

So if you’re a freelance writer, or doing anything in business that requires putting yourself “out there,” willingly opening yourself up to rejection, understand that you’re not alone. Here are some tips to help get you through.

1. Have more than one iron in the fire.

Sometimes we get so caught up in one opportunity that we lose sight of the fact that it’s our responsibility to create more opportunities. Marketing is not some gross business activity. It’s literally the life blood of your business. Every business owner should have a daily marketing goal. For me, it’s connecting with 5 to 10 potential customers via phone, email, or Linkedin. What is your daily marketing goal? Working a full time job has conditioned us to look for that one big break that we believe will change our lives. We say, “Oh, if I get THIS client, I won’t have to work so hard.” That’s simply not true. When you make the decision to be a business owner, successfully obtaining one client is one small step that leads you to your next best client.

2. Re-evaluate the rejection.

I fully understand that part of the reality of being a freelance writer is that my ideas get rejected daily. In time, I have learned that rather than write the rejections off as “hate,” I learned to take the time to ask myself what about my idea is being rejected. Did I submit my idea to the appropriate outlet, or will my idea get a better reception elsewhere? Is now the right time for my idea, or should I hold on to it for later? Was my idea any good, or do I need to go back to the drawing board and develop my idea further? Was my idea packaged properly, or did I make an amateur mistake that could have avoided had I taken the time to do a little more research? Being successful in business means asking yourself the hard questions about your own role in your failure.

3. Take care of your mental and physical health.

I remember there was one year (yes, an entire year) where every proposal I submitted seemed to get rejected. While many of them went ignored altogether, I got a few crass emails that made me rethink my whole career as a writer. That’s when the mind chatter started to kick in.

“Maybe mom was right. Maybe I‘m not good enough to be a freelance writer. Maybe I should shift my focus to filling out these job applications and get comfortable with living out the rest of my life in a cubicle.”

Scary, I know.

The truth of the matter was that I was falling into a depression. I was burning the candle at both ends being a caretaker to a family member who had just undergone a kidney transplant while also trying to figure out how to sustain a business. The pressure was wearing my body down to a point where my adrenal glands gave out. Living in my brain was like someone had pressed the fast forward button, making it impossible to rest. My heart and lungs felt like an elephant was sitting on it. If I moved too much, even while sitting, I lost my breath. My nights were spent tossing and turning in bed, taking spoonfuls of grape flavored sleep aid that made me drowsy, but not enough to fall asleep. Eventually I gave up on sleep altogether and decided to pop open my laptop and give sending yet another email to a prospective client a try. I was a mess.

What I learned from that experience was that it is possible to push yourself too much. There will be periods in your life when your higher power is begging you to sit down and rest. I was too full of pride to admit that perhaps I was being rejected because my proposals really weren’t that good. It’s hard to create your best work when you’re sick. But instead of paying attention to the signals that said, “GET HELP!” I allowed my shame and embarrassment of one rejection after another kick my bullheadedness into full gear until I almost landed myself in the hospital.

Rejection Is Not About You

Remember that rejection doesn’t mean that you, THE PERSON, is being rejected. Take your rejection as a sign of progress. Brene Brown references how to handle critics in a brilliant keynote speech for a 99U conference. She says,

“It’s not about winning or losing, it’s about showing up and being seen.”

Making the decision to be a business owner pulls you out of your pettiness and calls you to show up. Every day; even when it feels like you’re losing. Creative entrepreneurship is a journey that is oftentimes lonely and thankless. Continue to bear the pain of rejection and I promise you’ll be surprised at the person you’ve become because of it. I hope you decide to stay the course.

Ready to improve your thought leadership pieces? I can help. Contact me at Hello@DigitalWellPublisher.com.

What Are Your Business Marketing Goals for 2018?

Halona Black Business Marketing Goals 2018

Happy 2018! Right now is an awesome time to reflect on the prior year and define goals that will push you towards becoming the best version of YOU yet.

What Happened in 2017?

I like to start off the new year with a word that defines how I want to approach it. Last year was all about SELF-CARE. After several years of learning how to build a business along with the stress of taking care of a partner with kidney failure, I thought it was high time that I take time to fix Halona. I had developed adrenal fatigue which led me into a kind of fatigue I had no idea existed until it happened to me.

I took care of myself with herbs, trips to the acupuncturist, light walks, went to sleep by 11pm and slept for a full 8 to 10 hours, and deep diving into the miracle of essential oils. Some of you may be wondering what this has to do with the focus of this business blog. The point is that as business owners, it is easy to fall into the trap of the daily grind. You become your own worst boss trying to hit goals and make money. I was doubly stressed worrying about my partner’s life and wondering if we could make ends meet (we always did more than that, but the thought of failure was always in the back of my mind…) as he was often in and out of the hospital and couldn’t work regularly. Simply put, I burned myself out. And while I was able to maintain with a few clients, I really didn’t have the energy to push for new clients or even define goals for what I wanted to accomplish. 2017 was literally a year of taking care of my physical, spiritual, and mental health needs.

What’s Going On In 2018?

This year, my word is EXPANSION. Spending an entire year focused on my needs put a lot of things into perspective. My partner and I decided that we are better off as friends. We are both different people after his successful kidney transplant and we now want different things out of life. So now we are both moving on with each other’s blessing.

Next, I’ve decided to connect with my dad whom I haven’t seen in person since 2013. We talk on the phone often but haven’t made the time to connect in real life. I turned 40 in May of 2017 and that brings up a lot of thoughts about my connection to my family. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 39. She passed away at the age of 49. Somehow, entering my 40th year of life has lit a sense of urgency to live my life under my butt. I think I have always had a free spirit and pursued what I believed was good for me and my life at the time. But I think my 20’s and 30’s were more about experimentation to see what I liked and didn’t like. At 40, I’m a lot more confident in who I am and what I want out of life. But I also realize that life is not promised. I remember watching my mom sitting in her hospice bed, too weak to walk and begging God for just one more month. She wasn’t ready to die. So now I know my experimental years are about done and I can move forward with what I know to be right for my life. I don’t want to leave this earth with regrets.

My Business Goals for 2018

So now that I have laid the groundwork for what I did in 2017, I can now talk about my business goals for 2018.

One of the things I realized about myself is that I love partnering with brilliant people. People with big ideas that ultimately have some kind of social good attached to their life’s mission. These are people who get up everyday with passion for what they are doing and I want more of that energy in my life.

Ghostwriting Business Books

I have been working on books for entrepreneurs in different capacities for the last 3 years. And while the world is paying attention to everything that is digital, books are still a primary way for influencers to make their mark on the world.

This year I would like to partner with 2 high achieving entrepreneurs and global business leaders who want to write a book that will define them as leaders in their space. I’m looking for high-level thought leaders who want to leave a legacy for others to read and gain insight on how to move forward with their own careers in leadership. If you think this is you, please send me an email at Hello@DigitalWellPublisher.com so we can set up a time to meet via Skype or phone.

Powerful Positioning as an Accomplished Digital Marketing Strategist and Linkedin Expert

Most of my freelance writing work has been for other business owners. I’ve written and edited a ton of blog posts, white papers, health related e-books, and more — most of which don’t have my name on them. As a ghostwriter, I understand that my reward for doing the writing has been payment and not so much personal recognition. But now that I am looking for higher level book clients, it’s a challenge to prove my expertise without social proof of my work.

As a result, part of my goals for 2018 is to write regularly for larger publications like:

  • Success Magazine (I’d love to do a regular column here!)
  • Psychology Today
  • Stanford Social Innovation Review
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Fast Company

…and a lot more! I believe that my writing chops are just as good as many of the pieces I have read in these publications. It really is just a matter of pitching story ideas until I find an editor who says YES.

Powerful positioning as a social media expert would also include speaking. I want to get in front of more people and talk about what I know about building a personal brand in the digital space that people naturally want to follow and learn from. At the present time, I am doing my research on various outlets I can share my knowledge and expertise with. This can include:

  • Business, marketing, and freelance related podcasts
  • International conferences
  • Webinar events

If you have a connection to a company or organization that is in need of guest speakers who can talk about building a personal brand, social media, and how to use writing to gain new clients, then email me at Hello@DigitalWellPublisher.com.

While I continue to ghostwrite books, speak, and write for larger publications, I will continue to write content for businesses. This includes brand journalism pieces like white papers, ebooks, blog posts, web page content, company magazine articles, and more. I can be reached at Hello@DigitalWellPublisher.com if this is something you’d like to connect with me on.

Learning Goals

Everyday is a new opportunity to learn and grow. I have noted 4 specific areas of focus that will help me achieve my business goals.

#1 Strategic Marketing on Linkedin

Linkedin is that social media platform that every business professional is on, but most people never learn how to use it effectively. This leaves a lot of room for focused experts like myself to come in and dominate the platform. I want to be a lot more strategic about who I connect with on Linkedin, how I communicate my value, as well as supporting other professionals who are serious about making power connections on the platform.

#2 Writing for Consumer and Trade Publications

I have always wanted to write for consumer and trade publications, however it always felt like such a mountain to climb. This area of writing has its own set of rules that I am not 100% privy to as of yet. I have access to tons of resources on how to do this. Now I need to do some reading, ask some focused questions, and start pitching.

#3 YouTube Marketing

I have a few videos on YouTube for this site — most of which get no attention. However there is one video on the subject of how to talk your book that has well over 1000 views. While that’s not extraordinary, it does tell me that if I find the right content to share, I can start to get clients via the information I share. I’ve got a video camera, a video editing system, and an internet connection. I just need to get busy.

#4 Affiliate Marketing

Every year I say I’m going to get my affiliate marketing life in order. And every year I fail to follow through. I’m tired of reading about folks making $10K and more on one income stream based on a few proven tactics they use to sell products they don’t even have to make, inventory, or mail to anyone. Even if I made $1000 a month in affiliate sales (totally do-able…) that is money I can just put into a retirement savings account and let it grow. So that’s the goal — $1000 per month in affiliate sales by December 2018.

Travel Goals

Life just wouldn’t be worth living if I didn’t have a list of travel goals. This year, I am finally making it to the following destinations…

#1 Thailand

I’ve never been to Asia. And I need to get my tail to Thailand while it’s still a great travel bargain. I’m working on getting my 6-month visa as I type this. It’s a beautiful country to be in while also being a great place to live on the cheap. I can also eat my weight in noodles, fresh fish, and deep fried street food.

#2 Kenya

I have a friend in Nairobi from graduate school who has extended an invitation to visit her several times. While I’ve spent several years in West Africa, I have never been to East Africa. And Kenya just looks like a beautiful place to be for a month-long workcation. Nairobi and Mombasa are on the travel itinerary.

#3 Malaysia

Apparently, this is another great place for the traveling entrepreneur. What’s even better is that I can go there without a visa for up to 3 months. Bonus for the fact that this is another food mecca.

Revive Garlic & Lemons Magazine and Podcast

I’ve been saying I wanted to revive this magazine for the longest and haven’t made time to do it. It’s important to me to have a digital magazine where black women and health are at the forefront. I did a telesummit last year that people were very excited about. What I should have done was turn those interviews into a podcast where people can listen to it at will. So — written magazine articles with invited guest writers as well as podcast interviews. I’m debating whether or not to do the Facebook group. This will help to have a community around the podcast as well as sell learning webinars.

Attend a Writing Retreat

I used to do mini solo writing retreats a few times a year. That needs to make another grand entrance into my life. I would also like to do a group retreat where I can just pay a fee and be taken care of for a change. I’m currently doing research on where and when this will take place in 2018.

Read Non-Work Related Books

I can’t tell you the last time I read a novel. Or anything that was purely for me and not related to business. While the business books will remain, I think I need more personal reading in my life. This will help to exercise a different muscle in my brain and give me some relief from the hardcore business mind that is easy to get caught up in. I am reaching for more opportunities to engage my whole person rather than just my entrepreneur self. I joined a Facebook group that is centered on books written by black women from the 1970’s to 1990’s — so fascinating! So now I have some accountability to get some good reading done this year.

And there you have it! My business and life goals for 2018!

Are you planning on finally writing your book this year? What’s been a major roadblock to you getting your book done? I look forward to reading your comments.