09 Sep 131. Lean In to Your Strengths to Write a Better Book

The world doesn’t need more generic, boring, AI-generated books.

The world needs the book only your pen can write.

Discover how to identify the strengths you already have that can help you write a more powerful, transformative book.

Lean in to those strengths and write a book you’ll be excited to have your name on.

For more writing tips and inspiration, follow me on Instagram @candiceldavis.

Mentioned in This Episode

30-Day Private Book Coaching Program

Authors Ignited: Group Coaching Program for Nonfiction Authors

Jump-Start: A free guide to help you jump-start your nonfiction book.

Complete Author Coaching (1:1 Coaching)

Episode Transcript

Hey there, and welcome to Nothing but the Words. I’m Your Book Coach, Candice L Davis.

I hope your week and your writing are both going exceptionally well.

In this episode, I want to talk to you about a potentially controversial subject, and I’ll also tell you a little about my 30-Day private book coaching program which can help you with this controversial subject.

While some people may disagree with me, this is what I believe. It’s fundamental to how I coach my clients to write their books. And it’s what I want for you.

I was involved in writing and publishing for about a decade before Amazon lowered the bar to entry by making self-publishing incredibly easy.

You can write a manuscript today, use one of their free cover templates, and have a book published tomorrow.

Like most advancements in technology, this comes with pros and cons.

The biggest advantage is that publishing a book is no longer an option available only to a group of authors hand-picked by publishers.

According to one report, between 1950 and 2018, 95% of American fiction books published were written by white authors. 

Ninety-five percent. That’s infuriating and depressing all at once.

And you better believe the best deals went to white men.

The truth is that traditional publishing still isn’t very diverse.

The open door of self-publishing (or independent publishing) solves that problem.

It’s still an advantage to have the platform and/or the connections that make it easier to get a traditional book deal.

That hasn’t changed.

And it’s still an advantage to have more funds to invest in editing, book design, and promotion.

But the truth is anyone with a smartphone or a laptop and wifi access can publish a book, at least in the US and economically similar nations.

But here’s the downside to that.

Every year, thousands of really bad books are published.

Some of these bad books are just scams. They steal other people’s content from the internet, put it all together, and call it a book.

Or they’re just in it for a quick buck, so they hire some underpaid worker overseas to ghostwrite a “book” for 50 bucks.

A lot of times, they’ll try to make the book look legit by mimicking the cover style and the title and even the name of the author of another successful book in their category.

You’re not those people. I don’t spend much time thinking about those books.

I’m more concerned with people who really want to write and publish a book that has an impact and makes a difference for readers.

If you want to educate, enlighten, inform, or even entertain your readers, I want to encourage you to raise your standards for your book.

If you have a perfectionist streak, and I’m tapping into that right now, take a breath.

Your book will never be perfect.

Your book does not need to be perfect.

Books can’t be perfect because: #1. Their value is subjective and #2. Anything created by imperfect humans will reflect its creators.

Your book will never be perfect, but it can be great.

It can be the perfect book for you to publish at this moment in time.

The way you get it to that level is to raise your own standard and lean into your strengths. 

The world doesn’t need more books just for the sake of more books.

We need more books written by authors who care about the quality of what they publish and the impact their book makes.

 Listen, friend.

The best way to stand out in a sea of books that’s only getting more crowded, especially with AI-powered writing tools and books written by people who couldn’t care less about quality or copyright laws flooding the market, is to write something that surprises even you with how good it is.

That might sound intimidating or scary, but remember this isn’t about perfection.

Look at the elements of a great book and decide where your strengths lie so you can make those areas shine.

If you’re an engaging storyteller, lean into that skill. Tell more stories in your book.

If you’re great at capturing dialogue or setting the scene in a way that makes people feel like they’re right there, do more of those things.

Your gift for teaching a process, step by step, so anyone can get it

Your love of language and ability to write a gorgeous sentence

Your unmatched organizational skills

Your analytical skills

Your sharp memory of events

Your poetic way of speaking and writing

Your facility with metaphor and simile

Your eye for detail

You don’t need to be a master in all these areas. In fact, no one is.

You can improve almost any of these skills, but you already have strengths you can lead with in your writing.

If you’re not sure which of these might be your strengths, ask someone close to you, someone who knows how you think, or someone who’s familiar with your writing.

If you’d love to work with a professional who can identify those strengths with you and really help you use them to write a world-class book, I currently have slots open in my 30-Day book coaching program.

This is private, 1-to-1 coaching, where you have me in your corner to help you really get momentum on your book.

It’s really special because it allows you to reach out to me every day over those 30 days, or 6 weeks of business days.

We can plan your book together, brainstorm ideas, talk through the content you want to include.

You can ask any writing or publishing questions you have.

And if you ever get stuck, I’m right there to help you.

Find it at CandiceLDavis.com/30days or at the link in the show notes on your podcast player or on YouTube if you’re watching the video.

I’d love to help you write the best book you can possibly write by tapping into your unique strengths.

That’s all for this episode, friends. Thanks for listening to “Nothing but the Words.” I’m your book coach, Candice L. Davis, and I’ll see you next time.

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