Writing your book is a big deal. Like, for real. And you may encounter obstacles that threaten to derail your progress or stifle your creativity altogether.
Let’s talk about the top 10 challenges that arise and how to overcome them.
1. Time Constraints: You are busy with your business or corporate role plus family and creating space for yourself. Finding time to write and manage the book-writing process can be difficult.
The key to overcoming any scheduling issue is to, well, look at your calendar. Maybe you put the kids to bed and spend the next hour scrolling social media or watching TV. What if you set aside one hour twice a week to spend in community with other authors facing the same issues? Imagine how high you would fly.
2. Lack of Writing Experience: While you might be an expert in your field, you may not have experience writing for publication. You struggle with structuring your ideas, maintaining a consistent voice, or even just getting started.
Here’s the key: Participating in a program with expert guidance about writing techniques, structure, and voice with other writers who are almost certainly going through the same thing makes the writing process more approachable.
3. Overwhelm and Direction: The process of writing a book can be overwhelming, especially if you’re a first-time author. While you have a solid idea, it’s more common than not to have no idea where to start.
Writing a book doesn’t start with writing a book; it begins with your first word. You know that saying about how to eat an elephant is just one bite at a time? Writing your book is best done in stages with clear milestones and goals.
4. Publishing Navigation: The world of publishing can be complex and daunting. Deciding between traditional publishing and self-publishing, understanding the pros and cons of both, and navigating the publishing process can feel like just another hurdle to clear.
The great news about publishing now is that you aren’t tied to traditional publishers and can choose to self-publish. There are definite benefits for either method, and the one you choose will depend on what’s right for your topic, your audience, and, frankly, how much you’re willing to invest.
5. Marketing and Visibility: Once the book is published, the next challenge is marketing and selling to recoup your investment and to start making money.
What most authors don’t know is that even with traditional publishing, you will carry the majority of the responsibility for marketing your book. A combination of content marketing, social media and email marketing, and in-person events as well as fully utilizing your networks can build an audience, a following, a platform, and, ultimately, sales.
6. Lack of Accountability and Support: Writing can be a solitary activity. Without a support system or accountability structure, it can be easy to lose motivation or direction.
Joining a program where you writing in community with other authors helps maintain momentum and motivation. You support each other, provide feedback, tips, and tricks so everyone can finish their manuscripts.
7. Perfectionism and Self-Doubt: Maybe you struggle with perfectionism or imposter syndrome. Perhaps you doubt the value of your book or your ability to write it.
You are uniquely suited to write about your experience, your expertise, and your journey to help others avoid the mistakes you made so they can find success by the end of your book. Your readers will choose your book hoping you can help them. By the time they turn the last page, they’ll already be taking action!
8. Financial Investment Concerns: Investing in writing and publishing your book can be a significant financial decision, but the reward can be so much bigger!
Imagine working way less and making way more because your book instantly brands you as an expert. You’ll boost your credibility, brand awareness and profile, and increase business opportunities such as speaking on more stages for bigger fees, partnerships and collaborations, and passive income. Your book can do all that and more.
9. Understanding the Market: Knowing your ideal reader is the first step in writing a message that sells. What keeps them up at night? How can your book solve their problem?
Go beyond the demographics of your reader and dig into their psychographics to really know what makes them tick. When you have a firm grasp of who they are as a person, you’ll have a better idea how to position your book in the market. Use AI tools to help you research keywords associated with your reader and how to market to them.
10. Balancing Personal and Professional Insights: Finding the right balance between sharing your expertise and your personal stories can be tricky, but this is how you establish credibility and authenticity.
Unless you’re penning an academic textbook, readers want you to talk to them like a real person, as if you’re sitting down together having coffee. As you explain theories and concepts, you need to also relate your lived experiences and the lessons you learned from them.
If you’re ready to start and finish your book, to get it out of your head and into the hands of readers, let’s talk! Schedule a call today.