How to Handle Book Writing Fears

Writing a book can be scary, especially if you're writing a really good book. You're going to be sharing some of your story that probably some people don't know. Your ideas are being put on paper for all to judge, and some people in your life might not be too happy about you writing your story for their own personal reasons. First, know that you're not alone. Most authors have major fears when it comes to writing a book. But if you don't want fear to stop you from writing your book and enjoying the impact it will have, then this video is for you. Hey there. I'm Julie the Book Broad, Founder of Book Launchers, your professional self publishing services company. We take your book from concept to copies in readers hands. This means we support you during the scary times. Whether it be with a writing coach or a writer, we're there for you. So that's why I can tell you your fears are normal. We've seen them all. I lovingly call them monsters. Fell Fear of Failure, Fear of Judgment, Fear of Success, and Imposter Syndrome. They don't show up wearing these signs though. They usually show up as I don't know if I have a book in me. I don't know if my book will be good enough. I'm worried what other people will think of my story or if it will upset them. I'm afraid this topic has been done too many times or I don't want to lose credibility by publishing a book people hate or disagree with. There's also more innocent looking fears, but they're the same. Those fears come as I don't have time to write, I'm not a good writer. These are all monsters dressed up in different disguises, trying to stop you from making an impact and taking a step into the next adventure that awaits you. Let's drill into a few of them. Who am I to write a book? Also known as I don't know if I have a good enough idea or a book inside of me? Meet the Monster named Imposter Syndrome. Imposter Syndrome is when authors feel that their book will expose them as frauds or as fakers. I had this fear when I published my first book, More Than Cash Flow, because I'd not done hundreds of real estate deals, I'd done less than 30. Was I an expert? Who was I to tell other people how to invest? Martha Tettenborn has shared on some of our livestreams that she had this fear with her book Hacking Chemo, and it wasn't even until she was doing a ton of Podcast interviews, post launch, sharing her expertise that she really, truly owned, the fact that she is an expert and knows a lot that helps others. My solution to this is to look at your ideal reader. If you're writing your book for someone that has less experience than you, that can directly benefit from your experience to make their life better, easier, richer, or more fulfilling, and you know you're just that little bit further down the road than them, then I think you must write the book. You're not writing it for everyone. You have a specific person in mind that this will benefit. Do people always ask you for your advice? Are you already creating content on this subject? Do you wish you knew what you know now when you started out? Are people paying you for this knowledge in some way, whether through talks, courses, consultations, or some other means? If you're answering yes to any of the above, okay, then write your book and tell your imposter syndrome monster to get in the backseat because you're driving the car. The next thing that comes up is the fact that there are already a ton of books on your subject. You might be wondering what you have to offer that is at all different, or whether the world needs another book on this subject. This often comes up when something is so easy and so natural to you that you feel like it's that easy, obvious and natural to everyone. Chances are it's just in your zone of genius and other people are dreaming of knowing what you know. But here's the bigger thing. With the exception of books coming out right now on NFTs or other new technologies, you know, like new uses for blockchain or other innovations in science, there really aren't very many profoundly new takes on old topics. Business has evolved, but business fundamentals aren't that much different today than they were 50 years ago. How we communicate today is a little different than 20 years ago, but the fundamental communication strategies are still there most of the time. So you don't need a totally new book, you need a slightly different approach to that same subject. I usually suggest that you look at something in your industry that most people accept as true but you know is not and focus on that place. To differentiate you. For me with self publishing, that is that self publishing isn't as good as traditional. A lot of people believe that, but I fundamentally believe self publishing is better if you invest in doing it as well or better than a traditional publisher. And you know you're responsible for the end result of the book no matter what route you take. If you're curious about self publishing, read Self Publish and succeed to get my entire story on how my belief came to be and why I know it to be true. Even if a lot of authors still believe traditional book deals are superior, I also believe that nonfiction doesn't mean no fun. I believe you should write a nonfiction book. People want to read, not have to read to get your insights. There are books on writing nonfiction already, but only my book takes these two approaches and explains an entire process for writing a top quality no boring books book. But let's look deeper at this fear. It's actually the fear of failure in disguise. Failure is a choice, my friends, and it's not one I choose. Do you? Okay, now let's look at the fear that your book won't sell or won't be good enough. Or that people will say mean things in reviews about your book. Or worse, your mom will hate it. Yes, my friends, you're really looking at the Fear of Judgment monster. And first of all, I know it would be nice if your mom loved your book, but will she even read it? My mom read my first two books, but she never finished Self Publish and Succeed and my dad love him to death but he didn't even try reading them. So I'm not worried about them. I am, however, worried about my YouTube besties. Fabulous friends like Poetry from the Heart, Brian K. Morris, Rising Tide, Mike Herd, Bill Miller, Deborah Lloyd, EZ Graphics Dan Fraser and Linda K. Lee. These folks are here to learn and they are the ones that show up day in and day out to help with their author journey. If I know what's content they can use, their judgment is the only one I'm worried about. The people who write one star reviews and they're out there. Look at this one. Erica really did not like Self Publish and Succeed at all. I'm certain Erika would not like the idle chatter of my videos either. So be it. I also had a three star reviewer who didn't like my chapter titles, which was something I painstakingly made not boring. But she literally wrote that she would have preferred them to be more boring. So clearly she was not my ideal reader. She likes boring books. When I focus on who I'm going to help, what I have to offer that will be of value and the people I'm already helping. The Fear of Judgment monster is much smaller. Fear of Judgment. He's my own personal big monster. But the more I've stepped into being exactly who I am and saying what I believe, the less afraid I am of that monster. And in fact we're kind of buddies now we share snacks and chit chat. He's not the boss of me, but let me add to this. Because the fear of judgment and the fear of success also pop up in different ways. Not just ways that make it hard to start writing, but in ways that make your book never get to publish. We've seen gigantic books that nobody will ever want to read. Because an author put their entire life story, complete with lunch menus into the book. What was once a topic that would have an ideal reader becomes an almanac nobody will care about. Even worse is when a book goes through 10 different edits because the edit, according to the author, is never quite right or the edit is never done. Let's face it, 10 different professional editors aren't adding value to your book. They're likely diluting it and delaying your date to publish. We've also spent months in cover revisions because covers make it real. Your book is coming to life and that cover will be judged. That's scary. Trust the pros. If more than one says your book is good, move it forward and get it done. And while you're there, make friends with your fear of judgment monster. See what snacks are his favorite. Okay, now let's hit on that final monster fear of success, which can also be a fear of failure. What if nobody reads it? What if there's no audience? Or I'm afraid that somebody might be mad, or I'm afraid this is going to be too much work when it's out and I have all these interviews. What I suggest is not let this or any of the fears stop you from saying what you know needs to be said. If you write a book that feels safe, your book will suck. It'll be boring, it will fall flat. If everyone agrees with what you say, nobody's going to care what you have to say. So remember, you need to say something that not everyone agrees with. Not everyone agrees with me that self publishing is far superior. They're okay giving their rights to their hard earned content, their intellectual property. They're okay giving that to someone else in exchange for the logo of the publishing house. Sometimes better distribution in physical stores and rarely, but sometimes a shot at the New York Times bestseller list. For some authors, that's all that matters and that's what they care about. That's cool. But for me, my intellectual property, being able to do what I want with my content and making the most money possible from all, all of that, that's most important to me. So I will be an advocate for self publishing all day long. But some people will disagree and that's okay. You have to be okay with being judged and you have to be okay with all that comes with success, which is judgment. More people wanting your time, more opportunities that can make life busier. And you have to be okay with failure, which again, I've already said is really a choice. So you don't have to choose failure. But your book won't exist, so it won't fail or succeed. If you try to avoid judgment, avoid ruffling feathers, edit it a thousand times and never publish. Fear is your friend, at least to a point. These monsters, they're not a bad thing. Fear keeps you alive by protecting you from danger. But your fears can be keeping you safe from success too. That's why I suggest make friends with your monsters, focus on your readers and get to work. Your book is something the world needs and you're not going to help a soul with the book in your brain and not on paper. But use those fears to push you to share your best work, to hire the best people you can get to create your book and put it into the world. And when it comes to marketing, I think healthy dose of fear can motivate you to tell more people, market a little bit harder even when you're tired, and just push you to be everything you can be. That's constructive use of fear. In other words, take a look at what you're afraid of and figure out how you can use that fear for good. And if you know you're ready to write a book but you want help through the fears and making sure your book is as great as it can be, let's chat. Head on over to book launchers.com application and tell me about your book and we can hop on the phone and chat about it. Then smash that thumbs up button as hard as you're going to smash your fears. And then watch this video on writing tips so you don't write a book that's boring. Or this video right here that YouTube thinks you really must watch now. Either way, I'm waiting for you over there. See ya.