Ep. 35 - Author Highlight: Crafting a Author Journey

December 06, 2023

In this episode, we turn the spotlight on an exceptional author currently under the guidance of our coaching program. This individual is weaving a distinctive path in the authorial landscape, employing strategies that resonate deeply with the essence of a successful author journey.

Author Focus:

The author's current work is tailored for teachers contemplating a shift from the profession they once chose. The book aims to serve as a comprehensive guide, offering support to educators seeking a way out of teaching. The goal is to help them identify their skills, navigate potential career transitions, and envision a future beyond the classroom.

Key Highlights of the Author's Approach:

Audience Understanding:The author stands out for their crystal-clear understanding of their target audience, the teachers looking to transition out of the profession. This clarity significantly streamlines the writing process.
Empathy from Shared Experience: The author empathizes deeply with their audience, having walked in the shoes of teachers. Their own journey from teaching, a profession they found flawed, to a different career, provides invaluable insights for readers facing a similar decision.
Beyond the Book Focus: The author thinks beyond the book, actively considering supplementary resources, tools, and courses that could complement the book. This holistic approach ensures that readers have avenues for ongoing engagement and support.
Community Building: Recognizing the need for a supportive community, the author is intentionally working on building a platform where teachers can connect, share experiences, and receive ongoing guidance. This goes beyond the conventional idea of a Facebook group and may include virtual or in-person meetings.
Impact over Sales: The author places a premium on impact and success for readers rather than merely focusing on book sales. This mindset underscores a commitment to the transformative journey of their audience.
Strategic Planning without Distraction: While juggling various aspects of authorship may seem daunting, the author maintains a strategic focus. They are dedicated to completing the book while actively noting ideas for supplementary resources, understanding that timing is crucial for each building block.
Tailored Book Format: Recognizing the unique preferences of their audience, the author is contemplating a format that aligns with the teaching profession. This might include a spiral-bound or workbook-style layout, making the book more relatable and user-friendly for teachers.

Action Item:

Reflect on your own author journey. Consider your current position and evaluate how your present actions align with your broader goals. Are you strategically thinking about the impact you want to create in the long run? Use this reflection to guide your next steps.

Join us in applauding this author's thoughtful approach and consider how you can incorporate similar strategies into your unique authorial journey.

Actionable Insight

Call to Action: Sit down and contemplate the kind of author you want to be, and take the first steps today.

Podcast Website: www.juxtabook.com/podcasts/beyond-the-book

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Episode Transcript

[00:00:00] Today I'd like to spotlight one of the authors that I'm coaching. Now this author is doing several different things that I absolutely love that they're doing to create a successful author journey.

[00:00:12] The book that this author is working on is for teachers. Who went into teaching and realized it's not for them. And they want to transition out, but they don't know how.

[00:00:23] I'm Zach Kristensen, and this is Beyond the book presented by Juxta book.

[00:00:29]

[00:00:37] The goal of this book for the authors to be able to provide a clear guide and support and helping teachers know how to identify what skills they have to transition out of teaching

[00:00:48] how to find the right next step for them and to determine what their career could look like outside of teaching.

[00:00:56] So here's some of the things that I absolutely love that the author is doing.

[00:00:59] [00:01:00] First, they have a clear understanding of their audience. This is making the writing process. A lot clearer because they know who their audience is.

[00:01:08] Second, they can empathize with teachers because they were once in their shoes, they experienced the joys and the disappointments and challenges of teaching and for them, they ultimately realized that teaching is a broken system, that they wouldn't be able to change And even even though it was a hard decision to leave, and their journey from going to teaching to another career and path was rocky but the lessons they learned along the way is exactly what these teachers need and in an author.

[00:01:38] What else I appreciate about this author is that they are thinking beyond the book, as they are writing their book, which is their main focus, they are also considering what other supplementary resources, tools, and courses that they can provide to teachers that will help them outside of their book and what other support they can provide them that maybe will not fit in [00:02:00] the book.

[00:02:00] Why this is so impactful is because as they're writing the book, they're going to be able to direct the reader, how to further engage with them as an author outside of the book.

[00:02:11] The author is also intentionally thinking about building a community for teachers to receive that support as they transition. You may be thinking that a community is only could only be a Facebook group, but it could be outside of that as well.

[00:02:25] It can be on an email thread that meets virtually or in person often. It could be through another platform. It's someplace that these readers can connect outside of the book and further engage in the path that they want to go.

[00:02:38] For this author, having a book is good, but outside of that, having an impact and seeing success for their readers is more important.

[00:02:47] Now, this may seem daunting to be able to do as an author to think about all these things at the same time.

[00:02:53] You need to be thinking about it, but the clear distinction is not to let it become distracting and for you to start building [00:03:00] something, that's not ready to be built yet.

[00:03:03] So for this author, they are focusing on getting the book done but as I think of ideas of things that apply outside of the book, they I'm taking note of those, starting to think about what it would look like to build that. And when the right time is to start building it.

[00:03:18] The last thing that I'll touch on that I love that they're doing is they're thinking about their audience in regards to the physical format of the book.

[00:03:25] Most books out there are the standard six by nine or five by eight books that you can grab that are self-help for business, but they're really thinking about what might appeal to them as a teacher. Maybe a spiral bound book or something that's more of a workbook style layout and figuring out how they can incorporate these elements. To make it familiar to the teaching profession.

[00:03:48] So in summary. This author embodies a very strong holistic approach to their author journey while they're focused on the immediate goal of finishing their book, they are also mindful of the [00:04:00] bigger picture.

[00:04:01] So your action item today is to sit down and think about at what point am I in my author journey? And what am I doing now to think about what will impact, where I ultimately want to go?

[00:04:12]

[00:04:16] To get help discovering your author path.

[00:04:20] Visit juxta book.com to set up your author coaching session today.

[00:04:26] If you have any questions about a recent episode, I'd love to hear from you. Visit juxtabook.com/beyondthebook and click the appropriate button to leave your question and we will include it in our weekly Q&A episode.

[00:04:42] Your book is just one chapter in your author journey. Think beyond the book as you craft your path. Thank you for your questions and thank you for listening.

Ep. 35 - Author Highlight: Crafting a Author Journey

Author Focus:

Key Highlights of the Author's Approach:

Action Item:

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