"Does Mindy Still Do Books?"

“Does Mindy still do books?”

When a friend told me someone asked them that recently, I felt kind of sad. It’s true, I’ve been a bit quiet, mostly for personal reasons, and I have been working on lots of exciting projects, all under the umbrella of The Thoughtful Leader. However, The Book Midwife? is still an important part of The Thoughtful Leader brand family, and after 21 years and 1000+ author clients, it is still going strong.

The answer to the question, though, is not completely black and white (no pun intended)! It’s Yes and it’s No. So this post is my answer to the person who was asking, and anyone else who has been wondering what I’m focused on these days.

Yes, I still work with a handful of clients, but only founders, thought leaders and thoughtful leaders. I only do private one-to-one coaching programs, for overall thought leadership strategy or just book writing. I’m not running any group programs at the moment.

YES! I will consider a project where the author is stuck and needs a professional opinion. However, I am not an editor, so I won’t mark up a manuscript with editorial comments and suggestions. Never have, never will. The best time to start working with me is before you have written or even planned anything, as there will be no unpicking, unpacking or unravelling. Blank sheet to complete. Most of my clients in this stuck position choose to start over, and they write their entire book from start to finish in just 90 days (The Book Midwife? methodology is the original 90-day book writing program and one of the most successful in the world!)

YES! I coach authors from concept to finished manuscript, but only non-fiction books, specifically expertise books. That means the author is writing about their expertise or business. No fiction or poetry, no children’s books or anything else.

YES! I support aspiring authors, but only those who have a big vision and a big heart. My clients are interested in thought leadership, but more importantly thoughtful leadership, giving back and making a difference in the world.?

NO! I don’t write the books. I never have. I’m not a ghost writer. I strongly believe that real thought leaders and thoughtful leaders can and should write their own books. It may seem easier or faster to get someone else to write your book, but I can assure you the financial and time investment will usually be higher than working with a coach. Many of my clients report a great sense of fulfilment and even amazement once they have written their own book.

NO! I do not publish books. I used to, when I ran the publishing company, but since selling it two years ago, I am now independent again. I can discuss a finished manuscript that an author wants to get published and I may be able to make introductions to publishers but I can’t promise anything.

NO! I am not an agent. It may sound that way from the last point, but I am not selling the author and their manuscript, only making introductions. My bias is towards hybrid, entrepreneurial publishers, where the author co-invests in the publishing in exchange for a professional, completely done-for-you service with ongoing support and good distribution.

So, do I still do books? What do you think? And who do you know who really needs to write a high quality full-length thought-leading book? If they BOOK IN for an initial call, we will discuss getting their BOOK OUT!