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Mindset, Marketing, & Productivity: Books for Building a Stronger Writing Career

Does it irk you that almost every article boasting “must-read” books for writers lists the same five titles—On Writing, Bird by Bird, The Elements of Style, Daily Rituals, and Ernest Hemingway on Writing?

Don’t get me wrong, those are outstanding books. And of course, the best way to master any skill is to model experts in your field. However, none of these works cover mindset, marketing, or productivity, which are all elements every writer must juggle if they expect to have career longevity, particularly in the world of indie publishing. But even if you’re working toward a traditional book contract, the aforementioned triumvirate is paramount since writers ultimately become responsible for renewing their own creative well while at the same time pumping out two or three books a year in order to capitalize on what little marketing the publisher provides.

And now, with social media becoming the primary hub for both world news and international self-promotion, the best way for an author to protect their financial interests is to build a brand that cultivates a loyal and voracious audience willing to buy books and products regardless of the mode or medium. To help writers with this changing dynamic, I’ve identified 13 books covering mindset, marketing, and productivity. These books outline everything from goalsetting to brand building to avoiding burnout so that you can successfully balance your passion for writing with the realities of every day life and ultimately build a career that will last a lifetime.

Mindset

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (2006) by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.

The book’s conceit is simple: People with a fixed mindset are less likely to succeed than those with a growth mindset. You’ll be surprised how acknowledging this simple truth will revolutionize your self-discipline and perseverance. And for those who worry that they aren’t smart enough or weren’t blessed at birth with the gift of genius, Dweck also tackles the debate of intelligence versus natural talent. She uses scientific research to prove that both acumen and ability can be cultivated, noting our capacity for improvement, whether innate or learned, is malleable.

The Desire Map Experience: A Guide to Creating Goals With Soul (2014) by Danielle Laporte

A book focused on using your heart, not your head, to discover what’s most important about your health, happiness, and career. Sounds crazy, right? On the contrary, working to pinpoint your “core desired feelings,” i.e. figuring out how you want to feel or determining which emotions emerge when you’re operating at your best, is a foolproof way to judge what’s worth doing and what isn’t. After all, isn’t life about doing more of what works and less of what drains us? Sure, this book can get a little hippy-dippy, but crafting goals based on feelings rather than societal expectations removes the pressure of being perfect and puts the focus back on YOU, which increases the likelihood of success.

The Genius Zone: The Breakthrough Process to End Negative Thinking and Live in True Creativity (2021) by Gay Hendricks, Ph.D.

Hendricks is the author of The Big Leap (2009), which I also recommend because in that book he discusses the idea that we all have an upper limit problem that we must remedy if we’re ever going to meet our potential. Or to put it plainly, every person has a subconscious threshold for how much success they can handle before they sabotage themselves, and we must work to slay that limitation if we’re ever going to take our lives to the next level.

However, I am more partial to The Genius Zone because, in addition to providing solutions for tackling the upper limit problem, this more recent book emphasizes two things we need to remember when goalsetting: recommitment and passion. Just because you failed today, doesn’t mean you should give up. Try again tomorrow. And if you have a true hunger to do something, especially if you’re good at it, put all of your energy into that place of power, which Hendricks calls your “zone of genius.” You will find that the cumulative effects of those two things alone will change your life forever.

Finish: How to Give Yourself the Gift of Done (2018) by Jon Acuff

Acuff describes the mindset strategies in this book as being “counterintuitive,” but I’d describe them as the perfect common sense guidelines every writer needs to hear since we’re often raised on the mistaken belief that good writing stems from an elusive wellspring of creative genius. Acuff quickly busts that myth by noting that when we chase perfection, we are subconsciously blocking our ability to finish. In other words, the message we’re sending our brain is that a project isn’t worth doing unless it’s flawless.

Instead, be kind to yourself. Yes, we want to stretch when it comes to goal setting, but we don’t want to be so ambitious that we talk ourselves out of the process before we even begin. To avoid this pitfall, Acuff advises cutting goals in half, doubling your timeline for completion, and anticipating failure with a backup plan—all methods that will make your goalsetting journey more enjoyable thus increasing the probability of getting the job done.

Dear Writer, You Need to Quit (2019) by Becca Syme

Becca Syme is a Gallup-certified strengths coach, USA Today bestselling author, and founder of the Better-Faster Academy where she helps writers maximize their success by identifying which productivity methods align with their personalities. However, she is probably best known for her QuitCast for Writers Podcast where she discusses the things authors need to stop doing in order to discover the least painful path to success. Like her podcast, this book goes in-depth about the most common writer pitfalls and why we should avoid them—reasons born mostly from the mantra, “question the premise.”

Syme believes that writers are often taught harmful one-size-fits all approaches to our careers like writing every day or writing to trends or pursuing traditional publishing over indie as the only way to succeed when such truths often don’t apply to most people—nor do they make any sense when put to a reality test. Syme believes that every writer must find his or her own way and that means trial and error or even doing some things that seem to buck the common gospel touted by the writing community. In Dear Writer, You Need to Quit, expect to read about things like the unfounded obsession with writing a book a month, the detriment of measuring our progress against those around us, and tips for staying the course when you’ve lost your way.

Since this book’s publication, Syme has written an entire series that uses the “question the premise” mindset to cover such topics as burnout, writer’s block, how to foster creativity during tough times, and methods for developing one’s intuition. Syme’s work is essential for anyone who desires the truth about self-sabotage and self-care.

Marketing

When the average person learns a few marketing techniques, they apply them once (maybe twice) and expect the world to fall magically at their feet. Don’t fall prey to the mentality of the average person. Why? Here’s the truth: Brand building is just like anything else; the techniques only work if you work it—and that means tweaking your methods until you find what works best for your niche then following through with persistence and consistency. I state this up front to remind you that while all of these books listed offer solid advice, you can’t expect the knowledge alone to make you rich.

You must first endeavor to craft a distinct voice. Then you must assess the marketplace and take action in a manner that suits your career goals. Remember, success doesn’t happen in a vacuum. You can be more talented than Shakespeare or more prolific than Nora Roberts, but if you don’t understand where your work fits into the marketplace or you’re not willing to figure out how to publicize the work, you’re doomed before you even start.

The Business of Being a Writer (2018) by Jane Friedman

Jane Friedman is a former publishing executive and editor who has written several how-to books for writers including Publishing 101, What Editors Do, Literary Publishing in the 21st Century, and the Beginning Writer’s Answer Book. Her latest work encapsulates her experiences into one comprehensive guide aimed at helping fiction and nonfiction writers discover how to set realistic goals for achievement and how to market themselves once they’ve targeted their niche. To achieve this feat, she divides the book into five sections—establishing a writing career, understanding the publishing industry, getting your book published, laying the foundation for entrepreneurship, and making money as a writer. Friedman writes from the belief that although business savvy may not compensate for mediocre work, an understanding of the publishing industry from the inside out will reduce author frustration and lead to a more productive career over the long haul.

If you want my full review of this book, head over to the blog at Submittable.

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Expanded Edition – 2021) by Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D.

While I am sure Cialdini would hate me touting this as a marketing book, the content speaks for itself. Influence covers seven principles every writer needs to know to become a master persuader, a necessary edge for anyone attempting to sell their book in a tight market. Here is a quick outline of each tactic:

Reciprocation: This is the concept that when you give something away free first, your audience will feel obligated to repay your kindness with a purchase.
Commitment and Consistency: This is the idea that if we convince our audience to make a small commitment, they will continue to follow through on even larger commitments because of our basic human need to remain consistent when we make an initial promise. You can see this persuasion tactic at work when a company initially offers a low price on a monthly membership, assuming that most people will honor the obligation even when the fee rises in subsequent months.
Social Proof: This is the use of customer testimonials or the act of aligning yourself with other successful brands to show that your work is trustworthy and reliable.
Liking: People tend to align themselves with brands they like or with people who they have things in common. That’s why we ask our friends for recommendations or lean toward products endorsed by our favorite celebrities even though there’s no real indicator of that product’s superiority.
Authority: Experts and those in a position of authority gain the trust of an audience far more quickly than the average person. Therefore, it is best to put your knowledge, awards, or credentials on display as a way to elevate yourself above the competition.
Scarcity: As any child of the eighties Cabbage Patch kid craze knows, when the audience believes something is in short supply, they want it even more. Shortages imply a high demand. That’s why when you’re buying a concert ticket, the screen header declares there’s only two seats left at that special price. The ticket retailer is manufacturing scarcity to prompt you to act.
Unity: This final method of persuasion hinges on man’s desire for community. Brands can easily turn solicitations into sales by convincing the audience they’re family. I’m looking at you Olive Garden.

How to Market a Book (2017) by Joanna Penn

Joanna Penn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller writer, but she is probably just as well known in indie writing circles as one of the pioneering booktreprenuers, having sold almost a million books to readers in 169 countries and 5 languages. How to Market a Book is the second entry in her ever-expanding line of self-help books for authors (14 titles as of this publication) which includes subjects such as audiobooks, business planning, public speaking, mindset, and productivity.

The lessons in How to Market a Book are designed for anyone serious about cultivating habits that will help develop a long-standing writing career—indie and traditional, newbie to veteran. Some of the key topics covered in her text include: How to get customer reviews and find influencers to promote your book; how to coordinate paid advertising through Facebook, Amazon Ads and organically through algorithm hacking; author branding; email marketing; content marketing; blogging and podcasting; social networking; and booking professional speaking gigs. Best of all, she has the amazing Creative Penn Podcast where you can connect with her and ask in-depth questions about these topics and so much more.

Productivity

Vowing to write a book in a month is one of those declarations that sound impressive because who doesn’t want to maximize their time and achieve a level of productivity that will enable more career opportunities? However, making such promises or pushing ourselves to the brink can never end well because we’re ultimately faced with two challenges: How do we juggle the struggle to be creative with our daily lives, and how do we sustain such a daunting pace for the long haul? Obviously, the answers are different for every person, but I have found that optimizing one’s productivity is often more about working smarter than working harder. Therefore, I have curated a list of productivity books geared toward writers that emphasize stress reduction and creative renewal. You will find that none of these books are new or even innovative in their ideology, but each of them offer the common sense kick in the pants every author needs to avoid burnout and build a career that will last a lifetime.

Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day (2018) by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky

Feel like you’re constantly on the go but never getting anything done? This book gets you off the busy bandwagon and onto the path of productivity by learning to live more intentionally through the use of daily highlights. The purpose of creating such highlights (in advance!) is to place unflinching focus on tasks that will not only use our time most efficiently but also produce enough forward movement on our key projects and goals that we feel like we’ve had a win for the day.

The idea is that if we plan for a big win, we’re more likely to achieve it. But more importantly, shooting for a big win that we can quantify, helps to eliminate that feeling of running around but getting nothing done. But the twist that makes this book special is that the authors claim that these daily highlights don’t necessarily need to be career-oriented or even large in scale to have a profound effect. You simply need to find one thing in each of the following categories: urgency, efficiency, and joy. If each day you are able to complete three major things—i.e. something you deem pressing, something that satisfies a need, and something that brings you passion—you’ll walk away from each day feeling like a winner.

Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity (2017) by Charles Duhigg

Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and the New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Habit (another great book you should grab). As for Smarter Faster Better, the book’s main takeaway can be distilled into one sentence: Realize your tasks are a choice, not a chore.

In other words, reframe the steps you take toward any project as a decision that highlights something you value or gets you one step closer to achieving something meaningful. Of course, this is easier said than done, but taking a moment as you plan your day to outline three reasons why the steps you’ve chosen are important, will help motivate you.

Duhigg also notes that finding ways to exercise your personal power by putting boundaries on your time and energy—and hence, taking some measure of control over the item or event—can provide a sense of empowerment that will spur you forward when motivation is low. To quote Duhigg directly, “When people believe they are in control, they tend to work harder and push themselves more. They are, on average, more confident and overcome setbacks faster.” This book is an outstanding motivational tool if you have tons of great ideas but haven’t been able to execute.

Overwhelmed Writer Rescue: Boost Productivity, Improve Time Management, and Replenish the Creator Within (2017) by Colleen M. Story

Story uses her background as a wellness writer for publications such as Healthline and Women’s Health to put a unique mental fitness spin on why artists experience overwhelm and self-sabotage. Her techniques on how to expand our writing time and sustain creativity are the perfect roadmap for professionals who feel bogged down by deadlines or beginners who need motivation to stay the course when the road gets rough. Some of her tips include clearly defining our goals, chunking them down into three small tasks per week to avoid burnout, and rewarding ourselves for even the smallest success as a way to train the brain to see writing as fun. She also identifies seven productivity saboteurs, like perfectionism and self-doubt, and outlines how to conquer them in favor of confidence and consistency. Basically, any writer who feels stalled due to a lack of passion for the craft should invest in this book to learn how to get unstuck.

If you want my full review of this book, head over to the blog at Submittable.

The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity (1992) by Julia Cameron

Many know Cameron from the concept of “morning pages,” but this book also provides a twelve-tiered approach to unblocking the things that staunch creativity. For example, Cameron recommends every writer find at least an hour a week to spend on a creative endeavor that isn’t writing. She calls this the “artist’s date,” and I believe this renewal of the creative well allows us to see things differently and more deeply. Such an activity is essential as we claw our way out of depressive depths of a pandemic where writers were often overextending themselves in order to take advantage of the additional time allotted during quarantine.

Another one of her key tips is the “creative cluster,” similar to the master mind group concept attributed to Napoleon Hill, where like-minded individuals come together to support each other in their artistic endeavors. Cameron’s words were originally published thirty years ago, but her concepts are more relevant than ever. I highly recommend this work to anyone seeking writer-related tips on self-care and artistic passion.

The Practice: Shipping Creative Work (2020) by Seth Godin

Although more a blog compilation than a cohesive book, Godin reminds us that consistency gained through honing our craft is far more important than chasing trends and that success will come to those who commit to their passion. One of the passages I found most illustrative of these deceptively simple concepts is his anecdote on learning to juggle. He states that most people fail because they lunge out of position in order to catch the next ball. When we move away from the methods and practices that bring us results to lunge after what everyone else is doing, we lose our momentum and never gain progress in the areas best suited for our growth. This disconnect causes the kind of emotional pain that ends careers, and Godin believes writers interested in building a long-standing backlist should learn the difference between risks worth taking and risks that simply put us out of alignment.

Final Thoughts: Even though each of these books have a specific philosophy about mindset, marketing, productivity and what it means to maximize oneself for success, it is still up to you to find a stress-free way to make that path your own. Remind yourself daily why you want to be a writer and define what success means to you. Once you’ve established your motivations, designing an action plan will be easier, succumbing to burnout will be less likely, and setbacks will seem less daunting because your impulse to succeed will have a definite purpose.

The Fiction Book Proposal

Q&A With AJ: Should fiction writers create a book proposal to attract agents?

The conventional answer is “no” since book proposals are an exercise typically undertaken by nonfiction writers. However, when we consider that the entire point of a book proposal is to explain why your book will sell (above all others), why wouldn’t you want to create one to promote your fiction book? This is not to say that the finished manuscript shouldn’t be your priority when it comes to selling yourself as a professional writer. For heaven’s sake if you’re a novelist, finish your masterpiece before querying an agent or editor.

But with that in mind, the one way to impress those industry professionals during a live pitch or at the end an introductory letter is to offer a Fiction Book Proposal. Why? Because with such information in hand, you are signaling to the agent or editor that you clearly understand your book’s target audience, the benefit readers gain from your work, and the novel’s place in today’s market—all of which translates to an easier sales for both you and the publisher. Win! Win!

The first step in putting together a fiction proposal is to understand what current books act as your competition or comparison works better known as “comp titles.” Examine those books and take notes on the sales records, publishers, publication date, genre appeal, price, length, format, et cetera. Learn how the books are marketed and how visible each are within the current marketplace. Then work to develop a strong idea of where you book fits within a specific niche…but also look for a way to set yourself apart so that you’re not mistaken having written more of the same ho-hum material. Being able to articulate this information is crucial because it lays the foundation for how you’ll direct your marketing to reach readers.

On the other hand, if you’re having trouble finding comp titles, be aware that you may not have solidified a specific genre for your work. Genre is key in commercial fiction because it’s how most writers find their audience. While popular fiction writers are free to straddle genres, there’s always one that prevails over the others to shape the novel so that readers have a satisfactory ending—and for the sake of this proposal, reader satisfaction is the goal since the next step is to identify your audience.

To find your audience, look for organizations, publications, or websites who may be devoted to the type of work you’re writing. A connection by subject is ideal but a linkage through locale, profession, or ideology may work just as well. Your aim is to understand how you can fulfill the audience’s need and to determine how to claim those readers as your target market…or at the very least, how that audience could convey word-of-mouth praise for your work.

Remember, the modern writer cannot afford to claim that her book is a universal text destined to be adored by all because there are too many books released each year (1.68 million self-published books in 2018 alone) for anyone to succeed with such a tactic.

Other logistical components for the Fiction Book Proposal include:

Overview – This is the hook that defines how your book is unique—whether it is subverting typical genre tropes or the use of a unique profession. Be sure to highlight why your book is needed now and how readers will be enticed to buy it. Show that there is a hole in the marketplace that your work will fill.

Author Bio – Do your best to tailor the bio to the book you’re proposing, especially if you write in several genres. Present yourself in a manner that speaks to future success. Include any credentials that place you as the best person to write such a book or find a legitimate way to connect yourself to corresponding experts or authorities. This includes work, education, awards, previous publications, or personal experiences. If you’re a member of an organization that would support your work then highlight that information in the biography to make an explicit correlation between you and that entity.

Target Audience – We’ve already covered this, but now that you’ve made a specific determination this is the place where it should fall in the ordering of your proposal. Do not pitch a book expecting the publisher to supply an audience. In today’s industry, it’s your job to find and cultivate an appropriate readership. Once again, things to think about here: Who and what defines this audience? How large is this group? Consider socioeconomic status, age range, congruent interests, and purchase habits as they may influence how you approach this audience. Researching your audience and having a plan to connect with them maximizes your potential for success.

Comp Titles – This is another area previously covered, but it is essential to list three to five titles in this proposal along with the correlations to your work as you see it. While I would also recommend listing one or two of these titles in your query letter to spark interest, this is where you will provide the reasoning behind your choices. Include title, author, publisher, date released (stay within four years), price, page count, and a compare/contrast paragraph.

Marketing Potential – Be specific and honest about the promotional efforts you are willing to undertake. Attach numbers where possible. For example, instead of saying, “I have a large social media following,” make statements that speak to your genre and/or salability. Prove the power of your platform. In other words, a better response would be, “I have 6,000 followers on Goodreads, which is twelve times more than fellow knitting-focused cozy mystery writer Maggie Sefton.” This shows publishers that you have a built-in market for your work. Even if you don’t have that kind of support behind your writing just yet, there are several areas to explore.

For example, what is your access to traditional media like local radio or television? Do you have a website or blog? Are you active on other social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram? Do you have a mailing list? Do you teach and, if so, can you translate that into potential speaking engagements? Are there any professional organizations or groups who may be interested in your work? Answer all of these questions to the best of your ability and include links, numbers, and names where possible.

Statistics – These include genre, length (in words), possibility for celebrity introduction or endorsement (cover blurbs), and potential sequel titles with short summary and/or hook. All things that you should have briefly included in the cover letter that precedes such a proposal, but it is essential to include them here as well and to go into more depth if possible.

Synopsis – A compelling novel synopsis should encompass all the major beats of the story from beginning to end. And yes, you must reveal the conclusion. Format the information in the present tense with a complete narrative arc. Name and define your major characters, but keep this section brief. This should be no more than two to five pages for the purposes of this proposal since the overall document will be double-spaced. Although if asked to submit a synopsis separate from the proposal, the format is always single-spaced and should take up no more than two pages unless specified otherwise.

Sample Chapters – Depending upon the agent or editor’s request, you may need to submit this information in a separate document. However, this should always be consecutive chapters, and be sure to proofread the work.

Now much of this may feel like a marketing proposal—and in many ways it is—so if it makes you feel more comfortable to think of it that way, that’s fine. But unlike a marketing proposal, this format is designed to be presented to others, so it is important that you are as specific as possible with the responses to each category.

Put it all together in a double-spaced document topped with a coversheet that includes the title of your manuscript, your name, and contact information centered on the page. The second page should be a table of contents listing each section: Overview (i.e. Hook), Author Bio, Target Audience, Comp Titles, Marketing Potential, Statistics, Synopsis, and Sample Chapters.

Be advised, that each proposal you write will vary in content, length, and approach, but these are the main elements that will pique an agent or editor’s interest because they answer the questions a professional would ask upon reading the manuscript. While I think a book proposal is an excellent idea for fiction writers, I should caution you about sending the proposal in lieu of a query letter or manuscript. Please follow submission guidelines outlined by an agent or editor. Be professional and send a letter first asking if they would be interested in learning more about your work through sample chapters (and the book proposal) and be sure to have a complete manuscript ready in case they’d like more from you. Remember, a “complete” manuscript means one that is revised and edited.

Having a plan in hand will set you apart from the competition. And in today’s market, that may make the difference between publication and oblivion.

Have questions about how to create a book proposal?

Still not convinced it’s worth the time? Leave a comment below.