If you’ve ever wondered what actually happens when working with a ghostwriter—what you’re paying for, who owns the words when it’s done, why some quotes should make you run—I just did the most thorough breakdown of that process I’ve ever put on record. Andy Sanders…
I spent the last three months hanging out with the good folks at Indie Author Training, talking about one of my favorite things: how to write nonfiction that people actually can’t put down. When I pitched IAT’s training host Karen Guyler about doing a webinar…
Welcome to How to Cowrite Nonfiction, with Matty Dalrymple and Michael La Ronn! Before I cowrote my first book with a friend, I assumed that writing half the book meant doing half the work. Boy, was I wrong. I had so many misconceptions about what it would…
Last week, I ran a webinar for Indie Author Training called What’s Your Book’s Job? Writing Nonfiction as a Tool to Grow Your Business. (You can watch that replay for free here.) It’s part of an ongoing series of webinars I’m doing for them, specifically…
I spent three days in Boise at Kit’s Craft + Commerce conference, which was everything I hoped it would be! Sunshine, good food, new friends, and tons of inspiration. Here’s what I’m taking home. The big theme: dream big and shoot your shot Nearly every…
When you’re writing nonfiction, your book is making a promise. It has a job to do. And when I say your book has a job to do, I want to be really clear about what I mean. I’m not saying you have to write some…
A few weeks ago, I wrote about how to outline your nonfiction book. Today, I want to go deeper into the idea of mind-mapping, because it’s legit one of my favorite parts of the writing process. I guess I just love sticky notes. :) (Rainbow…
A guide for nonfiction authors, coaches, speakers, and entrepreneurs—featuring Narrator Todd Eflin. Audiobooks are becoming wildly popular, particularly for readers of non-fiction. And while fiction audiobook listeners tend to prefer the dulcet tones of trained narrators, non-fiction readers love to hear the book spoken in…
A few months ago at the gym, my weight lifting trainer asked me what I was up to that weekend. I told her I was teaching at a writing conference, and that I was worried about a presentation I’m supposed to give on how to…
Writing customer stories was my bread and butter for many years as a freelance copywriter. They’re super popular in B2B (business-to-business) marketing because B2B buyers are looking for a product’s tangible value—they want to see exactly how you solved similar problems for someone else, and…
My client Erin Weed is a master of collecting stories that drive her point home. She’s got this great one in her TEDx Talk, “Dare to be authentic,” about being dressed as Wonder Woman to cheer up a friend going through chemo, and being unexpectedly…
Whenever I’m ghostwriting a nonfiction book for a client (or working with a book coaching client), I always push for them to add more stories. Some of my authors are natural storytellers, and they have tons of examples in mind. Some would rather just talk…
A lot of people come to me knowing they want help with their book, but not always knowing what kind of help they actually need. They know the book matters. They know they have something worth saying. They know what kinds of doors this book…
What does it take to write a book? What’s it like to work with a ghostwriter—and why would you consider hiring one in the first place? My amazing client, Erin Weed, sat down with me to share her answers to those questions. I worked with…
Or, how to always have a story idea at your fingertips so you never have to face the blank page alone again. This post was originally published as a series about finding stories on Substack. You sit down to write a newsletter or social media…
In college, I minored in theater, specializing in the technical side of things—set design, construction, stage management, etc. I worked in theater for a few years after graduation; for a hot minute, I considered becoming a technical director. Mostly because my absolute favorite class was…
My husband and I are pretty handy. We’ve replaced our garbage disposal and multiple alternators. We built a Murphy bed. And, that first COVID summer, we tackled our biggest project yet: remodeling our back patio so we could have friends over safely outdoors. We taught…
I’m helping a book coaching client outline her nonfiction book this week (we’re smack in the middle of the Story Map Intensive part of the book coaching engagement), so my mind is buzzing with ways to organize a book. I’ll be doing a deep dive…
Want to learn how to write fast? Like, write 2000 words an hour fast? This article will teach you how. And if you want to go deeper, check out my Dictation for Thought Leaders course. It’s short, efficient, and will get you rolling on learning…
A Three-Phase Process that Actually Works (So You Don’t Get Stuck in the Creative Chaos) Our bedroom was filled with scrap fabric. Our kitchen table was covered with sketches. My dress form stood in the living room, more pincushion than outfit—and time was running out.…
I just used Spoken.press to create a nonfiction audiobook with AI, using my own AI-cloned voice—and the process was surprisingly easy. So here I am to share it with you! If you want a visual, here’s my video walkthrough on YouTube. If you’ve written a…
Writing a book is a creative act. It’s a powerful way to share your vision and message with the world. It’s the work of your heart. And, if your goal is to use a book to further the impact of your business, you have to…