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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If you have enjoyed books by authors such as Scott Turrow and John Grisham, you’ll love today’s interview.

My guest is Alexandra Shapiro. She is a former federal prosecutor with nearly 30 years of experience, and co-founder of Shapiro Arato Bach LLP, a prominent New York litigation boutique. She has argued in the Supreme Court, won numerous appeals resulting in the exoneration of previously convicted criminal defendants, served as President of the New York Council of Defense Lawyers, and handled many high-profile cases.

Fun fact: Alexandra was one of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s first clerks on the Supreme Court.

Alexandra is the author of the new legal thriller Presumed Guilty, which is based on her real-life experiences on both sides of criminal cases. The novel depicts how prosecutors, because of their motivations and mistakes, can at times destroy lives and promote unjust results.

Alexandra walks us through her process of structuring and writing a legal thriller while also being a wife and mother, and staying active in her full-time job. She also gives us insights into what she wanted to accomplish in a novel that she couldn’t do through nonfiction.

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Kent talks to Joanna Penn about her brand-new book, How to Write a Novel. You’ll learn how writing a novel changes you, whether you should try discovery writing or outlining, how to choose a story structure, how to get over the fear of being judged, and much more.

Joanna Penn is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers, writing under the pen name J.F. Penn. She also writes non-fiction for authors. Joanna is also the host of The Creative Penn podcast and an award-winning creative entrepreneur. Her site, TheCreativePenn.com has been voted in the Top 100 sites for writers by Writer’s Digest.

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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?

The post Milestone #4: Publish & Market Books That Solve Problems for Your Readers appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

Sometimes we make a false distinction between writing for money and writing for pleasure. Both goals can be valid and important. What ties them together is that you are adding value to the world through your writing.

When you write for clients, you are adding value to them and their business.

When you write nonfiction, you are adding value to others through your wisdom and knowledge.

When you write fiction, you are adding value to the world by helping us get lost in the story.

When you write in your journal, you are adding value to yourself through personal reflection.

When you write teaching material such as a speech or workshop, you are adding value to others by helping them learn and grow.

We write for different reasons, but the result is the same. It all adds value. It makes you better and it makes others better, too. Knowing that you have incredible power with your writing should be a tremendous motivation to keep going and keep improving.

The post Writing for the Right Reasons appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

When you hear the term “creative writing,” what comes to mind?

If you’re like most people, you probably think of fiction-based writing like novels, screenplays, and short stories. But did you know that the concept of creative writing also applies to a wide array of nonfiction formats as well?

I’m very excited to have a guest on this episode who is here to help us improve our creative writing skills, particularly with nonfiction. His name is Christopher Johnston, and he has published more than 3,500 articles in publications including American Theatre, Christian Science Monitor, History Magazine and Scientific American.

His book, Shattering Silences: Strategies to Prevent Sexual Assault, Heal Survivors, and Bring Assailants to Justice was published in May 2018. Christopher also wrote The Way I Saw It, the memoirs of the late Marc Wyse, co-founder of Wyse Advertising, which was published in 2013.

Christopher is currently writing a biography of industrialist Frederick C. Crawford, founding chairman of TRW, Inc. He teaches playwriting and creative nonfiction workshop courses at Cleveland State University and writing workshops in a number of places. He is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

Christopher shares his background as a journalist, some phenomenal tips for opening and closing an article, and how to adapt your work in one format to another format.

Resources:

Chrisopher’s website

Christopher on Twitter

Connect with Kent:

https://DailyWriterLife.com

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LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kent-sanders

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders

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The post Writing Creative Nonfiction with Christopher Johnston, Journalist & Playwright appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.