Hello again, beautiful souls. It’s been a while, so I hope you are all well and have been living your best creative lives
Over recent months, it’s been head down, derrière up, as I’ve worked with some fabulous aspiring writers, all keen to learn the craft of writing. I have to say, I always feel a deep sense of joy working with people who genuinely love words, writing and reading.
The energy shifts when you see someone who has previously held themselves back (often through fear, self-doubt or the unhealed parts of themselves) suddenly begin to see their own story with love and compassion.
When they start to recognise the wisdom in their experiences, the lessons they’ve learned and the value of their unique perspective… well, that’s when the magic happens. It’s transformational for everyone involved.
You can know something logically in your head, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the deeper, more fragmented parts of you believe it yet. Sometimes, the act of writing allows all those fragments to be gathered together again. When you write, you begin to understand your own story, and you see other parts you didn’t notice before. That’s where the healing comes in. That’s when you begin to see these ‘blocks’ start to melt away.
Over the last few years, particularly through working with complete novice writers in the healing and spiritual fields, I’ve developed a real understanding of the questions, challenges and concerns that can arise in those early days and potentially stall your efforts to bring your book into the world. Some of those questions are unique to the spiritual and healing communities. Others are shared by every new writer, regardless of their niche.
I also know that finding a ghostwriter, editor, designer or mentor to walk beside you through the process can feel daunting and expensive. The truth is, if you don’t have the skills, knowledge or expertise needed to get your book out into the world, you will probably need to pay someone who does. It’s a hard truth, but it’s important to hear it. That’s simply an energetic exchange, much like paying for a reading, a healing session, professional advice from a solicitor or the expertise of any other skilled professional.
However, I believe part of my mission is to help these messages reach the people waiting for them. So, where I can, I will always share my knowledge freely. That said…
There is a difference between sharing knowledge and giving away the intellectual property, methodologies, and processes I have developed over many years of professional writing, editing, and publishing.
My offerings are unique because I am a human being (yay), a qualified professional, and I am a practitioner myself. I weave those strands to create something truly transformational… but more on that another time.
Suffice to say, those are the things that make up my own intellectual property, and they are not something I give away for free. And that’s okay. It’s more than okay for you to value your own expertise, too.
So, now that I have a little time between projects, I thought I’d spend the coming days and weeks sharing some of what I’ve learned. I’ll talk about the things I wish every new writer knew before they began:
- how the publishing industry actually works
- copyright
- using images in your book
- working with editors, ghostwriters and designers
- self-publishing (should I self-publish? Where do I start?)
- traditional publishing
- and, of course, the brave new world of AI
The world is changing rapidly, and we are living in a time when the publishing landscape can shift almost as quickly as the latest AI update. (Honestly, my crystal ball is no help in that department). Whatever it is you need to know, I’ll do my best to help, and if I don’t know the answer, I’ll try to find out for you or at least point you to someone who does. So, if you’ve ever wondered:
- can I use this image or this quote from a book?
- what exactly does a ghostwriter, editor or mentor do?
- can AI write my book for me?
… then stay tuned.
There is a lot to learn before you send your precious manuscript out into the world, so the more you understand about the process, the more empowered you become to make the right decisions for you, your book, your message and your readers.