What’s the best way for me to figure out if my book idea is any good?

There’s this great cartoon of a doctor holding up an x-ray to a patient and saying, “It looks like you’ve got a book in you.” In the x-ray, there’s a book lodged in the patient’s ribs. 

If you’re reading this, you probably feel a lot like the patient, metaphorically, of course. Instead of wondering if your book idea is any good, let us help you figure that out.

Great book ideas start with the premise!!!

The very first step you should take when trying to figure out which book you should pursue first is to sit down and write out a premise of your book idea. The premise of your book is basically its thesis statement.

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“What are the important factors I should consider 

when I am developing my book idea?”

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But what if you have two book ideas and can’t decide which to write about first? The premise is a great...

12 books. 

According to the Pew Research Center, the average adult American reads 12 books a year, with half of Americans reading 4 or less. One more time for the people in the back: half of Americans read 4 books or less a year. Ouch. If you want to elevate your writing from amateur to professional, you have to become an avid reader.  At Author Coaching, we want to help you read more books this year. That’s why we put together 3 quick and easy ways to read more books in 2024. 

Here are 3 tips for reading more books this year. 

#1. You’re doing it wrong. 

The easy answer for why people don’t read more is they don’t have time. We get it. Everything is busy. But, there is an easy way to prioritize reading: audiobooks. 

You might not have time to sit down with a book, but you might have a commute to work or work out at the gym or time in the pick-up line for school. Many moments in the day can be used to listen to a book...

Rejection happens.

Every writer faces rejection. The difference between the writers you read about and the ones you don’t, comes down to who conquered that fear. It’s up to you to decide which path you choose.

But it’s not that simple, is it?

It’s easy to list how many times great books were rejected – J.K. Rowling was rejected numerous times before she finally found a home for Harry Potter – but we lose sight of the choice that the writers made. They chose to lean into The Resistance.

Let me explain.

Rejection is an outcome, but what if it was actually a positive outcome? To be rejected, you have to revise, submit, and query. You have to hone your craft. One of the biggest secrets writers don’t get to see, and sometimes ever know, is that they oftentimes have less control over rejection than they think because it’s a numbers game.

“The Resistance can’t win if you keep writing.”

A writer can’t control an agent...

Are you struggling with having confidence in your writing?

Every writer reaches a point where their confidence in the manuscript begins to wane. Maybe it’s the structure and how the chapters are ordered. Maybe it’s the voice: “Does any of this sound good to my ideal reader?” Or the grammar: “I’m 50% confident in how to use a semicolon.” Or, and this is a big one, connecting with a reader: “Is any of this working?!?!”

Any one of these questions is enough to make a writer throw their hands up in the air and yell, “Help! I need an editor.”

Editors are God’s gift to writers. They help us clarify, build confidence, and correct those pesky grammatical errors, among other things. A good editor can help you regain confidence in your writing while pointing you in the right direction. The key to finding an editor who can really help you is to know what you are looking for. 

Let’s identify the different...

Are roadblocks keeping you from pursuing your publishing dreams?

Recently we received this comment on Facebook: “I am so sick of all the roadblocks to publishing a book when you’re an everyday person.” We agree. That’s why we built Author Coaching - to help you navigate the ever-increasingly complex world of publishing. Today, let’s begin removing those roadblocks. Let us show you how. 

A book proposal changes how you are viewed.

At Author Coaching, we hear a lot about what stops you from publishing your book. The comment we mentioned earlier said, “If you’re a celebrity of any type, you can get your book of any kind on any subject published without any obstacles. It’s ridiculous and it’s simply not right.” It’s not fair. We’ve got to eliminate those barriers and create a level-playing field for your book idea.

That starts with a book proposal. Too many writers with potentially great book ideas are...

It’s 2024. You’ve made it!!!

How are you doing on your New Year’s resolutions?

That can feel like a loaded question, especially if you’re not keeping up with them. Resolutions are tough. Most of them leave us with a yes or no proposition. I’m either sticking to my diet or, most likely, I’m not. I’m either hitting the gym or I’m not. But what if instead of focusing on the all-or-nothing that resolutions leave us with, we found a better way?

By now, you’re either still on pace or you’ve given up. Not much wiggle room. Why are we so harsh that we create a pass-fail system to begin each year that we wouldn’t give to our worst enemy?

That’s why we need to create goals that are resolution-proof. Those are the types of goals that stay with us, the sticky ones. When spring gets here, summer starts, or fall begins, you don’t feel ashamed or guilty about those optimistic goals you set way back in December of last...

The past year may not have turned out how you planned it to be.  It may have been filled with setbacks,  heartache, and changes in how you live and work.

And yet there’s a lot to be grateful for, too. Perhaps one thing you haven’t considered is how this past year has made you a better writer. You might look down at your creative goals for this year and see more dreams than accomplishments. We’ve stewarded multiple clients through finishing books while they took on new challenges and new duties.

On the publishing journey, you will face setbacks. The writing will struggle to come together as the deadline looms. The proposal you’ve been working on will have to wait while you help fix another issue for someone else. You will enjoy moments of inspiration and celebration, and everything in between. What the past year is trying to teach us is: that things we cannot control are going to happen. How you respond to them is what is going to make the difference...

What’s a TBR?

TBR is an acronym that stands for to be read. Many people use it to refer to their reading lists. Now is a great time of year to add books to your TBR. Like you, we believe books are magic, and the right book has the power to change your life.

There are a lot of ways to change your life. You could move, get a degree, start a new job, etc. With any life-changing opportunity, there comes a cost. Change can be expensive, both financially and mentally. If you want to know one of the cheapest, quickest ways to change your life in 2024, read a book.

With that said, here are a few books that we highly recommend for life-changing results.

• Greg McKeown’s Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less is a Yates & Yates favorite. When our clients are trying to prioritize their publishing, their business or ministry, and their personal life, we hand them this book. It has the power to align your life with getting the right things done.
• When it comes to...

You are what you read.

To be a good writer, you have to be a good reader, too. Behind every writer is a book that played a pivotal part in inspiring you to become a writer. Maybe it was a childhood book or something from grade school that made you want to pursue this passion. Now that you are chasing this dream, it’s time to have an intentional reading list. It’s vital to a writer’s success, and with it being Christmas time, there’s still time to treat yourself.

Here are three book recommendations for helping you become a better writer.

He may not inspire you to become a horror writer or read The Shining, but Stephen King’s On Writing is an essential read for all writers. Immensely helpful and illuminating to any aspiring writer, On Writing shares the experiences, habits, and convictions that have shaped King and his work. What makes King’s On Writing so good is the way it blends his story into a book about how to become a better writer. That...

In a recent inspirational post on Instagram (Follow us @author_coaching), a writer asked us, “I feel like I need thicker skin but also don’t want a hardened heart in the process. Any wisdom on how to do that?" 

That’s a great question. 

No one wants to become some Grinch-like writer living alone with a dog on top of Mt. Crumpet, envious of all the writers out there doing what you wish you were doing. If you’re an introvert that loves dogs, there might be something in that life for you, but for the rest of us - it’s tough to have thick skin. 

If you want to cultivate a thicker skin, the first step is to own the things you can control. You can’t control what that agent is going to say, right? Here’s what you can control: Putting together a well-researched query letter. You’ve done everything you can to give your manuscript the best opportunity possible: you know the agent’s genre of expertise,...