Book Writing Archives | Page 5 of 9 | Jennifer Lancaster

November 3, 2021

Why Hire a Non-Fiction Writing Coach?

If you’re writing a non-fiction book, like self-help, how to, spiritual, etc, you may find that you come to a point where this writing stuff is making the hair on your head fall out. Rather than see all that hair on the floor while you re-write your first two chapters, you might want the support of a non-fiction writing coach. What writing coaches do is support your main book writing goal, help you at the start with an outlining technique (see our mini-course), and regularly point out some literary tools. This helps the book to flow better. A one-to-one writing coach like Jennifer can help keep the amateur writer on track to a self-imposed deadline. One way is by using a simple table to type out a six-month plan. Jennifer Lancaster normally coaches writers via fortnightly Zoom calls and spends…

January 14, 2025

Book Writing

All About Podcasting for Newbies

It’s my pleasure to introduce DL (Dwight) of Redeemable Media, a Podcast producer, host, and expert on this topic. 1. Can you describe how you started your business in podcasting? What did you experience before properly establishing your business to what it is now? I was listening to a Podcast about podcasting in late 2017. The host was discussing the usefulness of doing Local Podcasts, as in your geographic area. He claimed that this was a wide-open area in terms of starting a podcast that would get some traction. As the podcast was rolling, I logged onto GoDaddy and registered the ‘mahoningvalleypodcast.com’ domain. Ironically, I got tired of producing the Local Podcast and burned out on it after quite a few episodes. I let the Domain go. If you search it today, you will find someone acquired it and is…

April 29, 2021

Book Writing

How Do I Make Writing Each Day a Habit?

Of course, it’s hard to ‘get time’ to write something for your book each day. That’s why you must make writing a habit. I’m sure if you’ve read the book ‘Atomic Habits’, you’ll know just how powerful it can be to instil some good habits. Look what it did for me! Does a certain amount of time go past before some tasks become an entrenched habit? According to two experts at MetaFact, it is unlikely, and certainly not the mythical 21 days. Wendy Wood of University of Southern California says, “Until you have laid down a habit in neural networks and memory systems, you must wilfully decide to repeat a new action again and again, even when it’s a struggle.”– Wendy Wood There is hope for those who want to write more often habitually though. Wendy states, “Adopt a new…

March 25, 2021

Book Writing

Keys to Writing Self-Help/Memoir

What are some of the keys to writing a self-help memoir book? First, what is this mongrel book genre? What is a memoir? It is a snapshot taken from your life that’s compelling and has a strong message. What is self-help? Also called personal development, the self-help genre is diverse. It’s founded on the principle of the reader taking control of their lives, solving problems by learning new principles, tips and techniques. It often uses the direct voice (you, I, we). If your book’s topic is just stories (not your own), it may or may not be self-help. See The Success Principles. It is a bunch of inspiring stories but couched in the topic of being successful, so it is self-development. Some Things to Avoid when Writing Self-Help with Your Stories in It Stay away from using platitudes and quotes…

December 23, 2020

Book Writing, Self-Publishing

How to Motivate Yourself to Write (and Finish) a Book

Towards the start of the new year, my thoughts turn to how writers can motivate themselves to write and finish a book. It pains me to think of all those amazing books going unpublished or not promoted, just because of a lack of confidence, so let’s find out some motivation tips. When I’m trying to finish my own books and in need of motivation, I think about other people’s problems. I believe the power of writing is not in the medium – as readers enjoy books, ebooks or courses – it’s in the targeted solution to very real problems today. Young people growing up now need to see and hear your message, if that message is of a life-guiding nature, because very few have yet to recognise the most important priorities in life, e.g.: Health Family and friends The doing…

May 18, 2023

Book Writing, Self-Publishing

What’s an Aussie Alternative to Self-Publishing School?

Authors often look online for book publishing training, and some Australians find Self-Publishing School, by Chandler Bolt. He is American. Some novice authors enrol in these kinds of courses with the hope that they will provide book editing or publishing services but always remember that author training schools are not services. (SPS has changed and now includes this, hence the price increase). Let’s compare Self-Publishing School to Book Creation Success course at Business Author Academy, Australia. It is a sequential type of course, delivered one part at a time. With Book Creation, you can also get sequential lessons and videos, with no waiting. It is adjusted as feedback comes in and is regularly updated. There is a commitment contract to yourself and to the school. This is a good idea and we might implement this later. There are some common…