Last week, I had a breakfast meeting with someone I met previously at a networking event. We immediately hit it off and talked about a variety of topics, including our businesses.
During our conversation, my new friend disclosed that she had thought about writing a book, but didn’t think her story was interesting enough. Many of her friends had amazing stories of overcoming hardships and adversity to become successful. Her experience was just the opposite and seemed quite ordinary in her mind.
As we discussed more of her experiences, I discovered that she had attended medical school and ran a thriving practice before making the hard decision to sell the practice in order to spend more time with her young children.
The struggles she went through in making the decision and the transition from business owner to full time parent is something many parents are dealing with every day. I’ll bet some of them would love to hear from someone who’s walked in their shoes.
Authenticity is a cliche that’s thrown around a lot these days, but it’s a cliche for a reason. People want to know they’re not the only one who’s going through tough times. They want to connect with someone who’s already traveled the path they’re on.
As I told my friend, hardships don’t have to be dramatic in order to help someone else. They just have to be authentic to the journey you’ve taken. When you share your lessons learned, other people can relate to you and be encouraged that they can go through a similar transformation successfully
When I work with my book coaching clients, I encourage them to envision having a conversation with a person they feel will benefit the most from reading their book. Keeping that thought in your mind will ensure you use language that your readers will relate to and understand.
Don’t worry if there are already books on your topic. In fact, it’s a good thing because it means that people are already buying books about your topic and your book is more likely to be well received. For example, I did a quick search on Amazon and found books with a similar focus as my friend, including the bestseller, Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be by Rachel Hollis .
Even when a book has exactly the same topic, the details of your stories and experiences will be totally different. You’re unique and because of that, your book will be unique. Don’t let fear stop you from writing the book someone else needs to read to help them on their journey.
