Self-help books exist to solve readers’ needs. Here’s a vital strategy to ensure yours is irresistible.
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Read More“Something big happened. In mid-February (on my birthday), I signed with a small literary agency. This summer, my agent negotiated a five-book deal with a publisher. Now, she has sold the audio rights for all five books. ALL BECAUSE OF YOU! Keep on working your magic, Patrick.”
I recently had a lot of fun being a guest on the Startup Hustle Podcast to talk about the process of publishing a book and the business behind it. There’s loads of practical advice regarding making the leap from idea to manuscript. Plus we give plenty of attention to the rise of indie authors.
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Remember how you once dreamed of aimless free time—solitary or otherwise—to jumpstart that novel, revise that troublesome chapter, or do a little necessary research? If only we had more time to work on our craft.
CUT TO… the couch, remote in hand.
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Congrats to Horace Hough, former middle school vice principal and director of an all-boys mentoring program, on the recent publication of 8 Things Every Boy Should Know About Being a Man (Bethune & Nest).
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I don’t know much about numerology but 2020 just feels good, doesn’t it?
As creative people with things to say, I declare 2020 the year we choose to abandon perfection and fear. Instead, let’s focus on creation, expression, trusting instincts, and following our inherent need to write.
No ifs, whens, or buts—just butts in seats.
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Ever try to read a story and find yourself thinking, I seriously don’t care what happens to these characters?
Maybe you’re a chapter in and already getting antsy, your mind drifting to dinner options. Or worse, bored on the very first page. If so, it doesn’t matter how amazing it gets because the writer is about to lose a reader.
Likability equals reader investment. No one voluntarily hangs with—and I’d argue that’s what pleasure reading is—someone they don’t care about (yet). It applies to heroes and villains and all the desirable real-life shades in between.
How then do you hook readers’ interest and empathy early on?
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It’s always thrilling to watch clients’ aspiration and hard work become published reality.
This month two very different projects hit the marketplace and are finding their audience.
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Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, titling your book can feel:
Easy (“I’ve known the perfect title since Day One.”)
Challenging (“There’s a working title but it doesn’t feel quite right yet.”)
SUPER HARD (“Kill me now—this is impossible.”)
For most, it falls between challenging and hands-up despair. Why do these few words create such turmoil when you’re able to otherwise craft entire books? It’s because a title is the work’s most hardworking calling card.
And while a bad cover may turn off a prospective buyer/reader, a bad title can bury your book.
No wonder it feels like a lot of pressure.
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