“What will people think about me?”

This faith-breaking doubt afflicts writers when they start writing their own book. They might start with all the energy and ideas…yet if they allow this doubt to creep in. It will stop them from writing before they finish a chapter.

Why does this happen?

Do they lack clarity in their field? No, they are hailed as experts in their fields.

Do they lack knowledge? No, they hold seminars and workshops and willingly share their knowledge.

Or is it about the insights or results? Not at all, people come to them in their niche because they are known for the results they’ve delivered.

Then what holds them back?

Working with business leaders I have realized that it’s not that they doubt their expertise, rather they are assailed by the same doubts that creep in on writers- “what will this book say about me?”

Often the authors I work with are so well-known in their niche that the idea of opening themselves to a wider public creates doubts and fears in their minds.

The fact is that when you conduct workshops and seminars, you have full control over your information and can easily step in to explain issues.

But when it is all wide open in a book, authors feel that they will lose control and that thought is dreadful because authors start thinking…

What if someone says that my idea is wrong, or if they’ve found a different process works better?😶

What if people post reviews on social media and places where I cannot have a proper conversation like in workshops or seminars. 🤷‍♀️🤔

There are many fears that sprout from this fear of ‘what will people say?’

Let’s look at them head-on

What if people find faults in my book?

Look at the fear and see it for what it is. Do you think some reader might say,  “I don’t relate to the content that you shared here.”

That’s always possible because you cannot please everyone…even Einstein faced nay-sayers when he gave his seminars.

What should you do in such cases?

Simply continue the conversation with a zeal to have another insight.

“Oh, I have never thought about this angle. Please tell me more, I’d love to hear about it.” That’s a conversation you can always have…just be ready for it.

If it’s not a complete encyclopedia… it’s not worth it.

“Everybody is going to read my book. I need to gain all the information and pour it in this.”

If you have also said this to yourself, my question is: Is this the last book on the subject?

Absolutely not! With the number of insights and expertise you share, you will continue to grow your field of experience and learn about new ideas every day.

It is very natural for business book authors to consider their book to be their identity.

But your book is a product. It’s NOT you and it cannot hold every idea you have. That will be very difficult for your reader to assimilate. And even more difficult for you to write it.

Work with this thought and you will create a laser-focused book that will be an interesting read, not an encyclopedia that is tucked away in the bookshelf- good to look at but too heavy to read.

There are so many books in my niche. Should I write another?

Did you know there are new books written on sales- almost every day?

This niche has the highest number of books. If you search for books on the sales process on Amazon you will find over 2000 books on the sales process and new books are getting published every day.

Why?

Because everyone has their own story to share and a process to follow. There are sales process books for small business owners, NLP in sales, sales for teams and more.

Consider it in this way- You are not the only expert present in your field. You have earned your expertise with the experiences that you have had and the work you’ve put in.

That is what makes you unique and if people seek you out from that crowd of consultants already there then your book will find its audience!

Of course, we will work on the author platform…but that’s another discussion.

I am not ready for Success

It’s strange but sometimes the idea of success makes people feel overwhelmed too. Success means more responsibility. More work. Less time to enjoy.

These subtle fears play on our mind in the background.

How to get over these fears and create your book?

It might sound intimidating, but there is no secret formula to get over this.

You need to take that leap of faith and write…but before you write I suggest you write down all that you are fearing because book writing is a long process and you need to motivate yourself to write for a long period of time.

If you get into writing without properly understanding your fears you run the risk of getting blindsided by them.

Write down all your fears and then try flipping them into affirmations. I do this sometimes for myself and for my coachees too…it helps.

See this…

Fear: I will have no time for my family if I become successful. It will be just one meeting after another and work, work, work.

Affirmation: I can choose to do what I want with my success.

Stick it to your wall. Look at the affirmation, say it to yourself and slowly you will find that fear chipping away!

Even after doing this, if you feel stuck while writing your book, you can make the task easier for yourself and get an experienced ghostwriter to help you write your ideas into a book or find a book coach who can mentor you through your writing journey…

I work both as a book architect and as a book coach for my clients.

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