How to be an Author

Steven Pressfield may have been the first to give a name to the thing we have all felt in our creative lives: resistance. Resistance is often the explanation for our motivation failing us even though we really want to be successful writers. It's also the key to figuring out what you REALLY want as a writer. Because here's the thing: usually, when you are feeling resistance, there's a reason. In th...

How do writers make money? For authors wanting to quit their job and become full-time writers, this question is important. However, the ways in which many writers make money are often not truly representative of that full-time author dream. In this episode of the How to be an Author podcast, we will be discussing some of the commonly discussed and perhaps less common ways to make money as a writer...

Being a writer requires mental strength, powering through rejection, working long hours in solitude, exposing your innermost thoughts to the world, self promotion, hard work, and yes, talent and even luck. Join writing coach Karena Akhavein, who considers it her business to help writers to adopt and maintain a healthy, positive growth mindset.   This episode of the How to be an Author podcast will...

Can you imagine how Harry Potter would be without Hogwarts? Setting is a key element in any novel. It is the thing that grounds the story, permits the reader to create a detailed "movie" in their head, and, if done right, even impacts character development. But too many authors underestimate how important the setting is. Too many writers take it for granted or overlook certain details, while other...

Fiction books are essentially about characters doing things. Most novels have 2-5 main characters. Lots of authors I work with as a writing coach have many more than that. In some genres, this may be less of a problem, but often, newer writers make some key mistakes when they are assembling a cast of characters. In this episode, we'll be taking about who the essential characters are, which charact...

New writers often ask: How long does it take to write a book? Even writers who have been doing the author thing for a while can be curious about how they measure up to other authors in this department. While the average number is 6 months, writing a book can take a much longer time, and a much shorter time. And these days, it's not just about writing content- it's about the whole publishing proces...

If you want to be a professional writer, your job is not simply to write a book. A major, often overlooked part of every author's job is to build an author platform. Self-promotion is never comfortable, often icky, but selling books requires a strong marketing strategy, and the author platform is an integral part of this. Some writers plan to get around this requirement by assuming that they will...

As a fiction writer, have you ever looked at the bestseller list and thought to yourself, "Wow, I should probably write a self-help book"? Maybe not- the divide between fiction and non fiction seems quite wide. But as a matter of fact, writing coach Karena Akhavein thinks you should consider writing a self-help book. Using the example of her brilliant clients who are writing a book to help neurodi...

It happened to me: I was scammed by a literary agent, and by a so-called publisher. Not once, but twice. Shame on me, right? But as writers, we so badly want our publishing dreams to come true that authors are willing to overlook the alarm bells that poften go off in our gut when we are confronted by a scam. Whether it's for publishing services or via literary contests, scams abound in the publish...

One of the biggest excuses I hear from writers working on a book but never quite finishing it is the sheer cost of publishing. Why bother finishing their novel, they say, since their only option for publishing it is miraculously making it through the gatekeepers and getting it conventionally published, the only "free" option. Here's the thing: even though it is true that you should never pay an ag...

How do you write that many words? This is a question many non-writers or beginning writers often ask. Newer writers will often ask if word count or number of pages really matter for a book. The answer is usually yes. If your novel is to be conventionally published, or to compete with other novels in its genre on the marketplace, including Amazon, word count does matter. Join PhD writing coach and...

Dialogue. The very word strikes fear in some writers' hearts. For others, there's the assumption that dialogue needs only "sound realistic" to be good. One of the hacks you won't be hearing in this episode of the How to be an Author podcast is "read it out loud." Yes, you can do that, but that won't actually improve the dialogue on your novel. When you're writing a book, each line of dialogue need...

It's one of the most common questions writers ask, whether they are new and just starting on their books, or whether they are more established authors thinking about where to go in their writing career:  Should I self publish my book, or is it better to publish conventionally? There's no correct answer, but this episode will walk you through all the considerations, ranging from: -Gatekeepers: agen...

Main character energy: it was trending on TikTok, and confused a lot of writers, who decided that they were not the main character of their own lives, or that their protagonist is not the main character of their novels. Newsflash: your protagonist MUST be the main character, and yes, there is a certain type of energy you must give them to make them compelling for your reader. This episode of the H...

Some writers write for themselves, or write the story they want to read. Fair enough. But if your goal is commercial success: to sell more books, get traditionally published, or market yourself effectively, you're going to want to define your ideal reader avatar. In this episode of the How to be an Author podcast, writing coach Karena Akhavein will talk you through how and why to find your audienc...

As a professional writing coach, one of the big mindset issues I frequently deal with is getting authors over the idea that their friends and family somehow owe them attention and support. This one expectation holds so many writers back in so many ways. In this eye-opening episode, we'll talk about the often hurtful things people say to writers and about their writing and what they really mean, th...

Writing a book can be daunting. Often, you set yourself up for success or failure before you even start the real writing part. In this week's episode of the How to be an Author podcast we'll be going over the small, manageable steps you can do before writing your book to set yourself up for success. A few of these steps might surprise you.

Many writers start with story, not with genre. They know which story they want to tell, and they have an instinctual idea of how they want to write it. But sometimes, it's not so clear. Genre is how readers and agents categorize your book. If you're unclear about your novel's genre, it is harder to pitch it to agents or have it found by readers. Even if you think you know everything about genre, I...

A writer can write a whole book and never have a compelling story. A story is more than just writing. It has a purpose. It has an effect on your reader. It goes places. It has a plot that results in character growth. These things don't just happen. They are the result of planning on the author's part. In this episode of the How to be an Author podcast, we'll be talking about the Story Spine, an im...

Worrying is a normal part of author life. In fact, creatives tend to worry more than non-creatives. After all, all thta imagination has got to go somewhere, right? But when worrying about normal parts of the experience of writing a book turns into future-tripping and making excuses that prevent you from finishing said book? Well, that's when we have a problem. No guilting or ridicule in this episo...

Want your book to be successful? Whether you are thinking of self publishing your novel or you are hoping to go the conventional publishing route and hence looking for representation by a literay agent, you're probably wondering what readers and agents want. What are they looking for in a book? Which things about your story or your plot will hook an agent or a reader, and which things might make t...

If you're like me, you sometimes get super confused as to how your story should go. For me, that's where Save the Cat comes in and saves my *ss. In this episode, you'll learn what Save the Cat is, the pros and cons of using this popular storytelling cheat sheet, and how to use it to bust through writer's block or to better structure your novel's plot.

Outlines. Writers either love them or hate them. But here's what I've learned in my years as an author and writing coach: not having an outline is what gets a lot of you stuck, and having an outline makes it so much easier to keep on track of your story and write a synopsis when it's time to query or publish. Therefore, here's the guide to outlining your book, by and for people who hate outlines.

When you're a writer, you probably often catch yourself wondering whether your story idea is even any good. But seasoned authors know that the idea is just the initial spark. In this episode of the How to be an Author podcast, we'll be talking about: -What makes a good book idea? -How do you develop your premise into a plot? -How do you use the story spine to craft an irresistible elevator pitch f...

If you've been thinking of writing a book, whether you are a new writer or a seasoned author, there is always that moment where you wonder whether you can and should actually do this. In this episode of the How To Be An Author podcast, we'll be talki