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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.

Your Problem Isn’t Lack of Book Sales — Here’s the Real Issue

Halona Black Authorpreneur DigitalWellPublisher.com

If there was one thing that I want women business owners to know about how to use social media to market their books, it would be that YOU are in control of the conversation.

I was invited to do a group chat with Dr. Nicole Cutts of Vision Quest Retreats on Facebook on Wednesday evening on the topic of book marketing. The women had lots of thoughtful questions based on their experiences as authors or emerging authors who wanted to write books that promote their businesses.

The common thread throughout most of the questions was around how to sell more books. A legitimate question because, well, authors should be concerned about selling books. The problem with this kind of thinking is that people get caught up in the book sales hustle where they are showing up in social media begging their “friends” to buy a book they don’t want and will never read. So what is the best way to market your book without looking desperate?

Audience Building for Authorpreneurs

The best way for authors to sell books is to create an audience of people who want your book in the first place.

The internet has created an abundance of opportunities for authorpreneurs to control the conversation around their book and their work in general. Whether you support teens in losing weight, write books featuring children who are differently abled, or you are a therapist who is hell bent on getting people to understand that therapy is healthy — there is a way for you to use social media to create your own audience.

The Power of Your Cell Phone

Your cell phone can be used for a lot more than just making phone calls and playing Candy Crush on Facebook. You can record and edit video, create podcasts, do audio interviews, and take great pictures. In essence, YOU have the power to become the media you’ve been waiting for to cover your story. I’ve been able to accomplish this very thing around the topic of black women and uterine fibroids in my book, Loving My Fibroids Away: A 10-Day Detox Plan. I used the power of blogging to create an ebook that essentially launched my freelance writing career. I wrote the book on a laptop at the local library because my own laptop imploded. Then I spent the evenings on my crappy cell phone (at the time) editing my work in Google Docs. No fancy equipment needed. All that hard work paid off because now I get to work as a copywriter and content creator from wherever I want in the world that has a reliable internet connection. I accomplished all of that because I learned how to build my own audience.

If you want to catch up on the whole group chat that inspired this post, then click here to visit the Women Owned Business Wednesdays Facebook page.

 

Top 3 Misconceptions About Hiring a Book Editor

 

Top 3 Misconceptions About Hiring an EditorIt boggles my mind how many self published authors work so hard on their books and somehow skip over hiring an editor. When you write a book, you are too close to the book to really give it the fresh eye it needs to be clear and readable to your audience.

One of the great things about self publishing is that we get to cut out a lot of the middle men used in traditional publishing so we can syndicate our message on our own. However self publishing doesn’t mean that you do it ALL by yourself. It’s important to have a team — and your team should certainly include an editor. I talk about it on the 3rd episode of my podcast, How to Create Your Self Publishing Team.

So I wanted to take a few minutes to bust some of the misconceptions you may have about hiring an editor for your next book project.

#1.Hiring an editor is too expensive.

You say hiring an editor is too expensive? I say that NOT hiring an editor is too expensive. Why? Because high quality editing can transform your book from mediocre to something that your readers will love, appreciate, and share with their friends for years to come. Hiring an editor based on price alone is like letting your cousin take your wedding pics with his smartphone. Sure, it does the job, but are these the kind of pics you want to hang on your wall as a keepsake for generations to come? Of course not.

#2. All editors are the same.

Some wellness entrepreneurs are surprised when they find out my price for editing their book. This is because they often believe that all editors do the same work. In short, there are 3 kinds of editors:

Developmental editors check your book for overall continuity, flow, tone, structure. These editors want to know that the ideas in your book make sense to those who are reading.

Copyeditors go through your book line by line to ensure that each sentence makes sense. They also check for grammar, spelling, syntax, etc.

Proofreaders go through your book once it has been laid out in its final format and before it goes out to print. The proofreader looks for any fixes any final embarrassing mistakes.

While I am capable at doing all 3, most of the work I do with clients falls between developmental and copyediting. Developmental editing is often the most important and the most expensive part of the editing process that entrepreneurs often don’t see the value in paying for. However if you are the only person that understands what your book is about, then what was the whole point in writing it anyway? It’s kind of like going to the hairdresser and saying, “I’m only paying for you to do 3/4 of my head today, please.” It just doesn’t make sense. If you go through the trouble of writing the book, finish strongly by hiring the right editor.

#3. Editors fix 100% of all errors.

Fixing 100% of all errors in your book, or any kind of writing for that matter, is generally impossible. Why? Because human beings make mistakes. Sure, we can try to do our best to ensure that the book has as few mistakes as possible, but to ask an editor to give you an error free book is like asking God for no more rainy days (I’m in the mood for analogies today). It just doesn’t work. Pick up a classic novel, or even the latest New York Times Bestseller and count how many errors you find. I bet you’ll be surprised.

I hope that this gives you a bit more insight into how and why hiring a qualified editor to edit your book is important. Do you have any other thoughts about why you need or don’t need an editor for your book? Share them with me below.