8 tips to turn your ideas into a story, readers will love

So you have a brilliant idea for a book, but you don’t know what to do with it. How do you turn your ideas into a story? Will readers love it or hate it? How do you turn your idea into a book that sells like crazy? I have eight tips for you, whether your idea is fiction or nonfiction.

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#1. Clarify your main idea:
Vague concepts don’t translate into great stories. Ask yourself a few questions before you start writing. What do you want the readers to get out of this book? Are you teaching them something? Are you entertaining them? Is there a moral to the story? Check out this post for more information on how to clarify your vision.

https://atomic-temporary-128406418.wpcomstaging.com/clarifying-your-vision-for-writers/

#2. Focus on character development:
Whether writing a fiction book or telling your life story, you must focus on character development. New fiction writers tend to make their characters perfect, and then there’s nothing to write. To build believable characters, you must show their flaws. Conflict and chaos make a good story. This concept also applies when you are writing your own life story.
Maybe you want the world to think you were perfect and handled the chaos correctly. I’m sorry, but no one will read that book except your mother. Everyone goes through turmoil. Trials and tribulations develop our character as human beings. So focus on character development whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction.

More info on character development here:

https://atomic-temporary-128406418.wpcomstaging.com/the-six-basic-human-needs-and-how-they-can-help-your-writing/

#3. Research what you don’t know:
For years, there’s been a saying that says write what you know. But, if you’ve lived a very sheltered life, you will have nothing to write. I say write what you know and research what you don’t. My first traditionally published book was set in Hawaii. I still haven’t been there, but I spent two years researching everything I could find about the place. When the book came out, I had some native Hawaiians ask me how long I had lived on the islands. It was funny. I’ve never stepped foot there, but that’s the kind of research you need. You don’t have to write what you know. You just have to research it.

#4. Tie story into current events:
If the moral of your story can be tied to a current event in the news, you will find the book will sell like wildfire. Major marketing gurus know that if they can link their products into local news stories, they will sell 100 times better. Maybe your story could tie into an event, a charity, or scientific research in the news. It doesn’t always have to tie into a negative event.

#5. Mind map like mad:
Recently I’ve written an article about mind mapping for authors. I use mind mapping techniques to study my characters and build a well-rounded individual. (I also use mind mapping for marketing my books.) You need to know your characters well enough to pick them out of a lineup if necessary.
This tip reminds me of a crazy story. My first book was set in Hawaii, and the main character was a native Hawaiian man who happened to be a bodybuilder. Years after that book was published, I walked through a theme park with my family, and I nearly flipped out. The very man I wrote and created in my head was walking towards us! I swear it flipped me out.
That’s how well you want to know your characters before writing about them.

More info on Mind Mapping for Authors here:

https://atomic-temporary-128406418.wpcomstaging.com/mind-mapping-for-authors/

#6. Write right now!
Stop procrastinating and write the book already! I had one person sign up for my author’s coaching course, and she found all of the assignments in the year-long course kept her from writing. She was surprised when I told her to stop the course and just write. You see, anything can become a distraction if you let it. This author writes profusely but never has been published. Why? After procrastinating over the homework assignments, now she can’t stop editing her work. She’s traded one distraction for another. So while she is an excellent writer, she’s never been published.
While you need to research, mind map, and focus on character development. You must stop at some point and actually scribble things on paper

More information on overcoming procrastination:

https://atomic-temporary-128406418.wpcomstaging.com/write-right-now-overcoming-procrastination/

#7. Start with chaos:
I took a marketing seminar recently, and they said we have three seconds to stop the scroll on Facebook’s news feed. Wow! How do you attract the person’s attention in 3 seconds?
You might think that is just Facebook, but you have 15 seconds to hook the reader before they close the book if they were holding it in their hands and standing in the local bookstore.
Start your book with conflict that will hook the reader emotionally. If you can tug at their heart enough, they will stick with you.

#8. Research the a-listers:
Research the top authors in your genre and see what topics they cover. This research will give you hot topic ideas. It will also show you what people want. Most of the a-listers have bigwig marketers on their teams. They know what trends are popular and what people want to read. Instead of hiring your own marketing guru, just research the a-listers. They’ll give you a clue.

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I hope these tips have helped you take your idea out of your head and put it on paper. Don’t let the idea of writing a book overwhelm you. Writing a book isn’t as hard as you think with all of our modern tools. In fact, it has never been easier to write a book and get it published.
If you would like help with your book, check out my author coaching courses. I also have some one-on-one coaching options available through Patreon.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/62965908

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If you’d like more tips and tricks about the business of writing, check out Synova’s Simply Biz Facebook group and sign up for Synova’s Simply Biz Newsletter.

If you enjoy this content don’t forget to sign up for Synova’s Simply Biz Newsletter and get your copy of her Free Guide: Overcoming Writer’s Block.

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If you’d like even more help with your writing business, Synova has recently launched a course for writers.

Author Biz 101 Writer’s Course:

This course will focus on helping writers develop their craft and show them how to build a business from their writing.

For more information check out Synova’s store page HERE

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Today I will be talking to you about some of my pet peeves as an author business coach. I teach people how to build a business and market their books effectively so they can earn an income from their writing. But, everywhere I look, I see more desperate authors spamming people.

Americans are so inundated with advertising that we have become blind to them. So, where does that leave an author trying to sell a book? I’ve seen authors trying to sell books at craft festivals, street fairs, and book sales at the local library. I also see a lot of writers making these marketing mistakes. Please understand this article comes from a good heart, but you must have some class when selling online.

Below are my top pet peeves. Make sure you don’t do these things, and you will have a better experience when it comes to marketing your work online.

#1. Spam comments on posts: I have a writer we will call Bob who likes to create an entire advertisement for their book in every comment they make on Facebook. It doesn’t matter if the original post was about this writer or his book at all. Bob will still write out an entire book ad in the comments section two paragraphs long. Do not do this! It makes you look unprofessional. It will not sell books for you.

#2. Shifting Fonts & Caps: I have seen other writers type in different font sizes. It looks unprofessional, and to make it worse; they also type half of their words in all caps. After that, they add in a half dozen exclamation marks and emojis. (Yeah! That really looks professional.)

#3. Spamming live videos: I’ve seen other writers regularly watch people’s live videos and then spam the video’s comments with another book ad. Not only is this spammy, but it’s also rude. Don’t bother a person on a live video with your book ad. It breaks their focus while they’re trying to talk, and it makes you look bad. Have some class people! Come on.

#4. Book ads in groups: The next thing I see is writers creating a paragraph-long book ad for their latest release. Then they will go to 187 groups and post the same book ad in every single group. This practice will not help you in the least. In fact, it will get you blocked on Facebook. Do not do this.

So what can you do to advertise your book? It’s real simple. Hire a coach like me, or take online classes to learn about marketing. Basically, you need to do whatever it takes to build an audience of people who want to read about your work. If they are not your target audience, then forget them.

Do not spam random people with information about your book. Even if they were interested after receiving your spam posts, they will block you and lose a sale.

Message me or comment below if you would like some help marketing your book.

#authorcoaching

#bookmarketing