Pat Iyer’s Blog
Book Writing
7 Writing Mistakes That Make a Good Book Look Amateurish
A few years ago, I read a memoir by someone with a genuinely compelling story to tell, sharing the intriguing details of her husband’s involvement with underworld criminals and his unexplained death. She had a unique story. But I almost put it down after I started...
When Your Book is Stalled (And The Hidden Price You Pay)
“Michael was reaching for his son’s pack as he started to say, ‘Good job, Son’. But he couldn’t finish his sentence as he slumped to the ground like a stone. I ran over to catch him so his head would not hit the cement. After I laid him down, I ran inside to the front...
Why Shorter Business Books Win (And How to Write One That Delivers)
When my client hired me to help him write a business book that was part memoir and part guidance on being a leader, I envisioned a book of about 40,000 words. The project ballooned to 70,000 words before we concluded that it was best as a two-volume set. Books Have...
Why Your Book Needs a Map Before You Write a Single Chapter
A few years ago, I sat down for what should have been a routine book coaching project with a client — a professional speaker with expertise worth sharing. She hired me as her ghostwriter. Initially, we talked about her vision for the book and the content she wanted to...
Momentum and Your Writing
I just finished a novel about momentum: John Grisham's The Confession. A young man in Texas is wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to death. With days left before the execution, the real killer sets out to save him — and the entire book becomes a race to see...
From Blog to a Book
If you’ve been publishing blog posts consistently, you may be sitting on the foundation of your next book without realizing it. Instead of starting from scratch, you can shape your existing content into a focused, valuable short book that reflects your expertise and...
No time to write? Where does your time go?
When people say they don’t have time to write, it’s often because they don’t know how they’re spending their time. Is this something you struggle with? Track Your Time Try this: For one week, track your day in 15-minute increments. Write down everything—emailing,...
The 81% Who Want to Write—but Don’t
Have you ever said, “One day I’ll write a book”? If so, you’re in very good company. According to surveys, 81% who want to write a book - don't. Fewer than 1% of Americans who want to write a book ever follow through. What’s stopping the rest? Not a lack of time. Not...
How to Write a Book Fast
For professionals who think writing a book takes years, Jan Spence’s story offers a surprising reality check. She wrote her book in two days. That is what I call how to write a book fast. Jan had long planned to write, but months slipped by. Then came the email: the...
Writer’s Block and Childhood Red Ink
Do you remember the first time you shared something you wrote? Maybe it was an elementary school assignment. Perhaps it was a book report, a short story, or a poem. What followed? Was it encouragement—or criticism? Could that be behind writer's block? Writer's block...