Reading time: 3 meaty minutes

Welcome to the Weekly Book Business Brief—your weekly shot of strategy, tools, and real talk for authors building a book-based business.

A few things going on behind the scenes around here…

My Show launches July 13th—three weeks! 🎙️ I'm not freakin', you're freakin'!

I'm still recovering from the crud. I've officially had my first z-pac in ten (!) years, took my first steroids ever, and was wildly disappointed by the codeine cough syrup. I drank a gallon of fire cider, made fire water, and slept like it was my job. Who has a suggestion to get me back to optimal health?!

The breaking news of this week is our dear Shadow's mast cell tumor has returned and in a couple of hours, he's going in for surgery. Prayers, well wishes, and good vibes welcome.

Let's focus on something positive, shall we? It's a big book birthday month around here, which is exactly what I want to talk about today. 🎂

📚 WHY YOUR FIRST BOOK FEELS IMPOSSIBLE TO FINISH

I have this conversation almost every week (and I had it today over lunch!):

"Honorée, I've been working on my book for two years and I'm still not done. I keep starting over. I'm not sure who it's for, or whether it's any good, and now I'm wondering if I should just shelve the whole thing. But I want to write it myself."

Now if someone has more money than time, I suggest they outsource every aspect of the process to a competent (and awesome) team.

However, sometimes even so, I understand you want to write your own book. I feel your passion. I embrace the fact that you're a good (great!) writer.

You're going to do it yourself, and that's great. If you're stuck, chances are you don't have a willpower, craft, or even a time, problem.

You need clarity--who the book is for, what comes before or after each chapter and section, and the transformation you want for the reader, Reader.

That's why my advice to every first-time nonfiction author is the same: stop randomly drafting what's on your mind, and start by making some key decisions. Allow me to help.

🎯 THE 4 QUESTIONS TO ANSWER BEFORE YOU WRITE A WORD

These are the four I make my Bespoke Book clients answer first. The clearer the answers, the faster the drafting.

1. Who, specifically, is this book for? The person (a prospective client, perhaps?) you could describe because you know them--by name, age, stage of life, as well as the problem they woke up at 3 a.m. thinking about.

2. What will be different for them after they read your book? Be definitive in your answer: "They'll know how to achieve their goals of writing a book because they'll have a process to follow, step-by-step."

3. Why are you the right person to teach this in a book? What is your other credibility, story, and unique angle? If you can't say it succinctly and confidently, without a single pause (like ya say your name!), keep working on it.

4. How does the book fit into your bigger business? A book can be a marketing asset, a credibility builder, lead magnet, and/or (sometimes) a revenue stream. For the love of all of the Mucinex in Tennessee, decide which one your book is, before you write it.

In other words, answer these four questions thoroughly, and save yourself months (years!) of wasted time, money, and energy.

✏️ YOUR FUN (Home)WORK 📝

Open a blank page (or, ahem, the order the Journal I'm about to spotlight 😉) and write your answers to those four questions. (Trust me on this one.)

🎂 BOOK BIRTHDAY: WRITE YOUR FIRST NONFICTION BOOK (& JOURNAL!)

This month, Write Your First Nonfiction Book turns three (as does its companion, the Write Your First Nonfiction Book Journal). These two are two of the most-used books I've ever written, especially with my Publishing PhD students. It's one thing for readers to read, it's another for them to read, make notes in the margins, highlight, take your advice. These two have done their jobs, for sure.

In fact, I've gotten more book mail in the past three years than in the decade before, because books are being written with this structure. It's kinda cool!

Here's why you need them, and how they work together:

→ The book walks you through the what and the how—framework, steps, and strategy for moving a first nonfiction book from idea to finished manuscript. It's making the case for the tried-and-true structure you can lean on and into.

→ The journal is where you actually do your thinking, processing, inking. You've got prompts, questions, and space so you can actually see progress as it is being made.

If your first book has been "almost done" for longer than you'd like to admit, these two are how you get it across the finish line.

👉 Grab Write Your First Nonfiction Book

👉 Grab the Write Your First Nonfiction Book Journal

If your first book has been living in a Google Doc graveyard (first, move out of Google docs...), let this be your nudge to open it back up and see if any of it is ready to use. If you'd love a room where I work through these in real time with authors, come to the monthly Live Q&A and bring your book with you. 💜

Have a great week, and I'll see you next Tuesday!

Honorée Corder. Author. Executive Book Producer. ​​​​​​​

​

P.S. Forward this email to an author you know who's been "almost done" with their first book for two years (or longer)! And send them to grab my free Roadmap so they get these missives every Tuesday too!

P.P.S. Three weeks until The Honorée Corder Show launches in July (hang out here for more)! You will want to listen to all of these amazing conversations!! 💜