Treading the Choppy Waters of Writing and Publishing Your Book

After living 54 years in Southern California, near an abundance of beaches and pools, I can't swim. In fact, I have a fear of the water. I love to look at it from a distance, I love the sound of crashing waves, I love walking NEAR the water, but NEVER will you find me IN the water other than dangling my legs off the side of a pool. And if you're wondering why...I almost drowned in a Jacuzzi when I was very young, and most of my family members didn't know how to swim, so I guess it's kind of a family thing.

When I talk with a prospective client for the first time about bringing their book idea to life, they often feel the same fear and trepidation as I do about the water. No one in their family has ever written a book. They've read books, they have books in their home, but they haven't dared write one themselves. Oh, they've thought about it but when they do a little poking around on Google to see how much is involved, they feel like they're drowning in choppy ocean waters of information overload. I feel their fear.

As a Book & Publishing Consultant, I tell my prospective clients that writing and publishing a PROFESSIONAL-GRADE book is not for the fainthearted. I point out that plenty of people can throw together a pile of haphazardly-written pages, watch a couple of YouTube videos on how to upload to KDP, and voila, they're now a published author. I've seen books by authors who boost of 30 books to their name yet each book screams of amateur effort and let's not even mention typos and poorly-spaced content and formatting. Books like that yell, "I didn't care enough about myself or my brand to put much effort into it."

No. No. No. That's not how it's done. At least, not if you're serious about your brand and professional reputation.

A well-written, professional-grade book involves a LOT of moving pieces, including investing in a ghostwriter, or at least a developmental editor if you've written it yourself, securing top-notch editors and proofreaders, making sure your cover designer knows what colors will attract your target readers, choosing a reputable publisher to work with, and developing an effective launch campaign and marketing program.

ALL of the above matters when your personal and professional reputation is on the line. Where do you start? How do you know who to trust? Do you even have time to navigate through this choppy sea of unknowns?

You need a guide. Someone who is used to navigating the rocky waves of the writing and publishing industry. Someone who already knows industry professionals who truly care about the outcome of YOUR book, who take pride in their work, who will treat you as if you're their only client.

In other words, you need a lighthouse. A lighthouse serves to warn mariners of dangerous shallows and perilous rocky coasts, and they help guide vessels safely into and out of harbors.

Michelle Hill, Your Legacy Builder at Winning Proof, is a Book & Publishing Consultant who helps sports and business professionals put all the pieces together to get their book written, published, and promoted. She works with a championship team of trusted experts who take pride in their work. Michelle’s clients include pro athletes, sports agents, coaches, performance trainers, and sales & leadership professionals.

To start your book or to find out more, contact Michelle at [email protected]