by Lisa Cybaniak
Have you ever thought of writing a book?
Maybe it’s not a book you’ve been contemplating. Maybe it’s starting your own business or branching out in your field. Maybe what you’re contemplating is a lifestyle change, or even a change in where you live.
What’s stopping you?
Today we’ll be talking about overcoming that voice in your head that says “I can’t do it”, “I’m not good enough”, “I don’t know enough”, “I’m not the expert in my field I need to be to have the right to do this”. You know that voice, don’t you?
Daniella Blechner is the founder of Conscious Dreams Publishing, best-selling author of Mr. Wrong, and Book Journey Mentor. She knows exactly what it’s like to face that voice, threatening to stop her in her tracks. Like most of us, she constantly asked herself who she thought she was to write a book. How could she be worthy?
Meet Daniella Blechner
With such successes under her belt as “best-selling author” and “publisher”, it would be easy to forget that Danni is just like the rest of us – she has the same mantra playing on repeat as all of us.
But instead of listening to that voice, being scarred by the rejection she faced and choosing to put her dreams of becoming an author on hold, she made a different choice. She stepped up to the plate, wrote that book, published it herself, and then decided not to stop there. No, her passion to empower other women to transform their stories, messages and powerful journeys into books of impact and influence drove her to open her very own publishing company. To date, she’s now mentored over 180 authors, been shortlisted for the National Diversity Entrepreneur of Excellence Award, and her publishing company has now published over 60 books, mine included.
I mean, if that’s not beating that negative, self-defeating voice in your head, I don’t know what is!
Let’s face it, we all face limitations every single day, especially when change comes knocking on our door, causing us to step out of our comfort zone.
The difference between those who are successful and those who throw in the towel is what decisions they make in the face of those limitations. Are you curious about what decisions Daniella made to get her to this point in her life – a successful businesswoman, book journey mentor, publisher, speaker and best-selling author? Me too!
So let’s dive right in!
What you should consider when writing your book
According to Danni, there are a few key things to keep in mind both before and during the writing process. Of course, keeping your eye on this list afterwards will also help keep you on track!
Know your why
Why are you writing this book? Most of us think about writing because we have a need to set a story free, but what makes us actually sit down and write it? What are you hoping to accomplish? For example, I wrote my book, Survivor to Warrior, because I want to empower others to overcome their limitations, whatever they are. I have a set of tools I’ve learned, used and perfected over the years that have helped me literally change my life, and I want to share them with others. Danni’s why was to empower other women as well. Not only was that through reading her book, Mr. Wrong, but through the writing of the book itself. You see, Mr. Wrong is a collection of stories from many women around the world. She wanted to give them a platform to share their experiences.
Know your message
What is the message you are trying to get heard? From writing fiction, poetry or a self-help book, and everything in between, you ultimately have a message to share. What is it? Know it inside and out and make sure that every chapter is in alignment with this message.
Know your target audience
Who are you writing this book for? If you say, “women aged 20-75”, then you don’t have a strong grasp on your reader. Be specific. I was writing my book to the 20-year-old me. That doesn’t mean it’s for women aged 20, but rather people who are in the mindset that I occupied at that age. Get so specific with this that you narrow down their occupation, education, and lifestyle.
What is your mission?
Finally, do you have a mission in mind for writing this book? This is really a two-fold question. First, your mission may connected to your why from step one. For example, my mission is to shed the stigma of being abused by breaking my silence. My book is one platform that allows me to reach this mission. But because my book is not a story of my abuse, which is only covered in the first chapter, and is rather a book about overcoming limitations, my “why” and my “mission” are not exactly the same. But they are linked.
Second, what is your mission or plan after the book releases? Do you plan to do speaking engagements, book signing tours, corporate training or private or group coaching sessions, for example? Knowing your plan for your future helps you to stay focused today. This ensures the content of your book stay true to your why and your mission.
Reasons to publish
Whether you already have a business in place, are well on your well to establishing yourself, or are just starting out, publishing your book will open doors you never knew existed.
How? Let your book be a marketing tool for you!
According to Danni, having a published book does the following:
- Boosts your credibility and establishes you as an authority in your field
- Gets you in front of a global audience
- Builds trust by building a relationship with your readers, letting them get to know you
More from this episode
Danni and I talk about so much more in this episode, including the challenges and obstacles she faced when writing and publishing her first book, Mr. Wrong.
As you might have guessed, these included the limiting, self-defeating thoughts that come with impostor syndrome. Danni shares her top strategy for facing this head on, and it is worth its weight in gold.
I’ll leave you with this thought, straight from my conversation with Danni. Are you making your decisions about whether to write or publish your book out of fear? If so, will this be a decision you regret when on your death bed?
Only you can answer that question.
When you do, ask yourself which voice you deserve to listen to: the self-defeating one that is scared and thinks putting you down will keep you safe; or the much softer, almost imperceptible voice that knows you deserve success?
Press play on the episode above – you don’t want to miss this!
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Voice over credit: Shari Vandermolen. Shari is offering a free download of one of her songs to the fans of the Life Like You Mean It podcast! Just visit www.GiftFromShari.com and tell her where to send it. Shari’s debut album is available for streaming on all the major platforms including Spotify and iTunes.
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