When you talk to aspiring authors, one of the common themes you’ll hear is that many of them have always wanted to write a book. It’s a dream they’ve had for years.

I applaud dreams and goals! And when you’re writing a book, it’s important to make sure you are keeping the goals of your target reader in mind as well. After all, a book is not just for you–it’s for your reader. If it’s a nonfiction book, the goal is to help them change or transform in some way.

My guest today is here to give us some great advice on how to identify your target reader and learn the pain points and frustrations you will address in the book. Vikrant Shaurya is the Founder & CEO of BestsellingBook.com and the author of How to Write a Bestseller. He has transformed his life by making his own bestselling book, dedicating his time to helping entrepreneurs, coaches, and thought leaders in producing their own bestselling book to generate high-quality leads, attract high-value clients, and skyrocket their authority.

In this conversation, you’ll learn why you need to focus on a target reader and how to use what you learn about their problems and frustrations in your book. This is really valuable information you can not only apply to your book, but to all your writing and communication as well.

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Having a place to write, and having an audience who expects your work on a regular, consistent basis is a great way to develop a writing habit because it puts the pressure on you to deliver. And that’s what professionals do—they deliver on time.

One of the challenges, however, is that you can produce words that don’t come from a place of passion and meaning. When you’re writing on schedule, it’s easy to become a bit of a robot, cranking out words on demand.

There has to be a balance. Passion and regularity. Meaning and discipline. The fire of writing, but also the consistency of lighting that fire.

F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “You don’t write because you want to say something, you write because you’ve got something to say.”

So, what is it that you want to say?

If you feel consumed by the demands of a writing schedule, take a moment to dig down deep and really think about what you want to say. Don’t let it get lost in the shuffle of schedules and expectations. Don’t quench the fire because I know you’ve got something important to say.

Question: What do you really want to say to the world through your writing?

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Jesus said, “The truth will set you free.” That’s not only true in a spiritual sense, but in a creative sense as well. No matter what type of writing we do, whether fiction or non-fiction, our objective as writers should always be the pursuit of truth.

The novelist Wally Lamb said, “If the book is true, it will find an audience that is meant to read it.” But what does that mean, exactly? Let’s break it down in practical terms. There are three types of truth we must keep in mind when writing.

First is the objective truth. If we’re writing non-fiction, this means we should check our facts and strive for accuracy. If we’re writing fiction, our stories should be true in the sense that they reflect the human experience.

Second is your truth. This just means that we are true to ourselves. We are not trying to portray ourselves as someone we are not. It also means we are trying to be true to our creative calling and natural giftedness.

Third is the reader’s truth. Whenever someone reads your writing, they come with their own agenda. They have a perspective. They have needs, desires, and pain points. There is something they want from your writing. It might be education, it might be entertainment, it might be inspiration, or a combination of all three.

It’s hard to keep these in balance, but it’s essential that we try. That is part of the challenge, the calling, and the privilege of being a writer.

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Whenever you hear the term “social media,” what’s your response? Many writers reel back a little at the idea of getting more involved on social media because they don’t know how to be effective using it, or because they feel it will take away from their writing time.

I understand. I’ve been there. I have struggled to know the best ways to use social media. And as an introvert, sometimes it’s hard to summon the energy to engage with more people.

That’s why I’ve asked my good friend John Schuchman to help us with this important topic today. John is a successful real estate agent in Pennsylvania and has been very successful in using social media to increase his business and connect with people. He’s also a social media coach for real estate agents.

John gives us some great tips on using social media as a writer and leader, which platforms to focus on, how to connect and serve, and some things to avoid.

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Nothing could be further from the truth. Every single day is unique. It will never come around again. You only have this one shot, this one opportunity to live these twenty-four hours.

So you must treat today like the gift it truly is.

As a result, we have to treat our audience the same way. We have to show up every day, ready to write, ready to create, ready to serve. They deserve the best you can give.

The legendary singer Tony Bennett said, “If you walk out there like it’s just another night, the audience is going to treat you the same way.” Wise words from a man who has been entertaining and serving audiences for decades.

Question: Are you treating this day as the gift it truly is?

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Kent talks to author and podcaster Jen Smith about how she has used her podcast and books to make both of them more successful, how she engages her audience with podcasting, and the secrets behind her phenomenal podcast growth.

Jen Smith is the co-host of the very successful Frugal Friends Podcast, as well as the author of several books, including the No-Spend Challenge Guide, which has well over 1,000 reviews on Amazon! Jen also writes on her Modern Frugality blog.

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Even though we live in an age when anyone can self-publish and potentially reach millions of followers and readers through social media, most writers seem hesitant to really make a go of it.

Why? Because they’re waiting for someone to give them permission to go ahead and reach for their dreams.

Our society is based around permission-giving. As kids, we couldn’t do anything without the permission of parents and teachers (or maybe older siblings!). Then as adults, we feel hamstrung by needing permission from bosses, leaders, our social circle, or society in general.

A lot of people spend their whole lives just waiting for someone to give them permission to go ahead and be a writer. But I’m here to tell you—you don’t need it. Just do it. We’re all waiting for you to share your wisdom, your voice, your knowledge, and your perspective on life.

But if it helps, I’m here to be your permission-giver. If nobody else is giving you a green light, remember that your friend Kent is GIVING YOU PERMISSION TODAY. Go ahead. Do it. You have something important to share. We’ve all been patiently waiting.

Question: Have you been waiting for permission to be a writer?

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Today we’re going to talk about one of the hardest, yet most important, practices to develop when you’re building a writing habit. Here we go with #6:

Keep writing even if you think it’s bad.

Maybe this has happened to you: you write a piece (blog post, social media post, podcast, article, email, etc.) and you don’t think it’s that great. However, somebody else loves it.

It’s baffling but it’s true: we are not always the best judge of the quality of our work. As someone once said, “What you think of me is none of my business.” And there’s some truth to that when it comes to how others perceive our writing.

When we’re writing, we tend to judge it, but it’s important that we realize we don’t always know when something will resonate with someone. In other words, it’s almost impossible to be objective about our own work. So, keep on writing even when you don’t think it’s very good.

William Faulkner said, “Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.”

Plus, when you keep writing, it’s the only way to actually finish something. If you’re always in editing and revision mode, and never in creation mode, it will take forever to get something done. So just keep writing and you can go back and revise later.

Question: Do you feel you are objective about your writing? Be honest.

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So far in this series, we have looked at the importance of getting clear on your audience and message, building the platforms where you will share your content, and writing consistently.

That brings us to Milestone #4: Publishing and marketing books that solve problems for your reader.

Why it’s important: Books give you credibility and authority that you cannot get any other way. Books are also a super convenient way for you to share your wisdom with people.

Notice the emphasis on solving problems… it’s critical that your book be focused on solving a problem in some way for your reader. For example, my recent book 18 Words to Live By was focused on solving the problem of not knowing which values are most critical to take with you throughout life.

I highly recommend that you focus on writing short books that solve problems for people, at least in terms of nonfiction. If you’re focusing on fiction, that’s a different animal because fiction is not about solving problems. But if you’re doing nonfiction, remember that people come to your book with a problem or frustration they need help solving. Keep their needs in mind.

Remember, writing for an audience is not mainly about meeting your needs… it’s about helping your reader. If you want to write for therapy or just for fun, that’s totally fine. But if you’re focused on building a business with your writing, you have to follow the principle that every successful business follows, which is putting your customer (or reader) first.

What do they want? What do they need? How can you help them? Those are the questions that should be driving you if you want to have a successful writing business.

The main challenge you will face in this regard is two-fold. First of all, a lot of people feel intimidated by the idea of writing a book. That’s why I recommend writing short little books that people can read fast.

Second, you will face the challenge of not focusing on your reader. You must have a relentless focus on helping your reader. That is critical. We’ll say more about that later on.

Daily Question: What is a topic of interest to you that could be the basis for a short book you could write in the next 3 months?

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So far, I’ve given you a quick introduction to The Writer’s Path, why it’s important, and I’ve shared a bit of my story of traveling the path myself. Over the next couple of weeks, you’ll learn more detail about each of these seven milestones. I’ll explain what it is and also share the biggest challenge you will face as you try to achieve it. I’ll also give you some examples of people who have built a writing business using this pathway.

Let’s dig into Milestone #1: Clarify a powerful message for a specific audience.

Why it’s important: In order to have a strong business, you need a specific point of view of the world. You need a clear message that is the basis for everything else you do. Every business does this. They have a mission of some kind.

Remember: you are not for everyone. You should have one main thing to say, or one main thing you do, for each business you have. When you have a bunch of conflicting messages, people get confused and they tune out.

Think of Apple products. Now it’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Apple products. If you think of their core value, or their core message, what is it? It’s basically this: we build superior products for an audience who appreciates integration and a great design aesthetic. They have consistently followed that over-arching mission for many years.

You need to do the same thing. It’s important for you to have one single clear message that you are sharing in your writing.

For the Daily Writer Club, my message is: The Daily Writer Club is a supportive and engaged membership community that helps you clarify a powerful message, write books and content to serve your readers, grow your network and online platform, earn an income from your writing and services, and develop habits for wellness and success.

It’s also important to choose a specific type of person you’re serving. Again: you’re not for everyone. Don’t try to write for everyone. Choose one type of person with a specific set of needs or interests. For example, my specific audience is writers who want to build a business with their writing but are looking for community and resources to do that.

Here is the big challenge in choosing one overall message and a specific audience: you will be tempted to expand and try to reach everyone. So be disciplined and focused in your message and audience. Do a deep dive into the needs, desires, problems, and frustrations of that audience and create material specifically for them.

Daily Question: What is your core message, and who is your specific audience?

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