Episode 18: From Idea to Bestseller - Cultivating the High-Performance Mindset to Write, Publish, and Monetize Your Book

Today, we're diving deep into something that's close to my heart—helping you go from having a book idea to becoming a bestselling author who actually makes money from their book. We're talking about cultivating the high-performance mindset you need to write, publish, and monetize your book.

If you've been struggling with this, you are absolutely not alone. Let's get started!

The Reality Check: Publishing Statistics

Before we dive in, let me give you some sobering statistics that might surprise you. 80% of Americans say they want to write a book. But out of those who actually start, only 3% ever finish their manuscript. Think about that for a moment—that's a massive drop-off rate.

The Real Culprits: Self-Doubt and Procrastination

Let's talk about the real enemies of getting your book done. If you're struggling with creativity, I'm here to tell you that your struggle isn't really with being creative. Your struggle is with self-doubt and procrastination.

Here are some of the self-doubt thoughts I hear all the time:

"I'm not good enough to be a writer"

"No one wants to read what I write"

"My ideas are unoriginal or boring"

"I'll never finish writing a whole book"

"I'm afraid of criticism and rejection"

Let me address that last one for a moment. Here's the thing about criticism and rejection—when you wake up in the morning, there's somebody who's going to be critical. There's rejection every time you walk out the door. We deal with criticism and rejection all day long, whether it's from our boss, our kids, our spouses, or whoever. You cannot suddenly get thin skin when it comes to writing your book.

Then there are the procrastination excuses:

"I don't have enough time to dedicate to writing"

"I'm waiting for the perfect inspiration to strike" (News flash: it never comes)

"I need to do more research before I can start writing"

"I don't feel motivated or in the right mindset to write"

On that last one—how many of you have ever gone to work when you didn't feel motivated or weren't in the right mindset, but you went anyway? We show up for other people's dreams when we don't feel good mentally, physically, or spiritually. I need you to show up for yourself with that same dedication.

Overcoming Self-Doubt and Procrastination

Here's what I've learned about overcoming these obstacles:

1. Understand Where Procrastination Comes From

Procrastination often stems from fear, perfectionism, or feeling overwhelmed. If you feel like you have a ton of stuff to do and don't know where to start, you won't start anywhere.

2. Break Tasks Into Manageable Steps

Don't try to write your entire book in one sitting. Set deadlines for smaller, achievable goals. But here's the key—you must have an accountability system. You cannot keep kicking the can down the road when it comes to your deadlines.

3. Strengthen Your Inner Motivation

Make sure you're clarifying your vision, setting meaningful goals, and visualizing your success. Sometimes you need to give yourself a pep talk. You have to learn how to be your biggest cheerleader.

4. Embrace a Growth Mindset

You must embrace challenges, seek feedback, and view obstacles as opportunities for growth. Remember, we have the entire world of knowledge at our fingertips through the internet. If you don't understand something, you can learn it.

5. Cultivate a Positive Mindset

Control your negative self-talk. Sometimes we talk to ourselves worse than we would talk to anybody else. Recognize who you are and your inherent worth. Build your confidence by celebrating small achievements—if you write half a page, celebrate it!

The Time Management Revolution

Now let's talk about one of the biggest objections I hear: "I don't have enough time." Here's a newsflash—you will never have more time. You don't get bonus time. You get the same 24 hours that everyone else has.

When I wrote my sixth book, "Chief Executive Author," in 2018, I started it on February 20th and finished it on March 26th—just over a month. Compare that to my first book that took 11 years! What changed wasn't that I suddenly got more time. What changed was that I took control of my time.

I was facing the same challenges everyone else faces—I was a full-time business owner, wife, mother of three, and my 88-year-old mother had just moved in with us. But I realized I needed to prioritize my personal goals alongside helping my clients achieve theirs.

Here's what I learned about taking control of your time:

1. Set Realistic Goals

I didn't say I was going to take off the whole weekend to write. That's not realistic when you have family obligations. But I could commit to 30 minutes a day. That's realistic and manageable.

2. Focus on High-Priority Tasks

You have to know yourself and your weaknesses. I love going down rabbit holes, so when I'm writing, I turn off Facebook and email. I can't do research while writing because I'll get distracted and forget what I was researching in the first place.

3. Use Time-Blocking Techniques

Schedule specific blocks of time for writing, and honor that schedule. If someone calls at 12:55 inviting you somewhere when you've scheduled writing time from 1:00 to 3:00, you have to be able to say no.

4. Create Work-Life Balance

You cannot stay up all night working on your book. You have to rest and recharge to avoid burnout.

Redefining What It Means to Be a Bestseller

Let me share something that might surprise you about Amazon bestseller status. My book "Intensive Faith Therapy" hit #2 on an Amazon bestseller list—right behind a book about spells for modern-day witches!

But here's what that "bestseller" status actually meant financially: You can become an Amazon bestseller by having 20-25 people buy your $0.99 Kindle book within a specific hour. The result? A prestigious-sounding title but maybe $15 in total royalties.

My definition of being a bestseller is different: producing a book that generates at least $10,000 in total business revenue. Not just from book sales, but from the entire ecosystem of products and services that can be created from that book.

The $80,000 Book: Monetizing Your Message

Let me tell you about my fifth book, "Digital Mastery for Women," which I wrote in 2017. This book was inspired by helping authors who were struggling with limited financial returns from book sales.

I realized that my book wasn't just a product to sell—it was a complete business blueprint. Every chapter could become a workshop. Every section could become a module in an online course. The principles I taught could form the foundation of a coaching program.

The first year after publishing this book, it generated over $18,000 in revenue—not from book sales, but from the membership program I created based on the book's content. Since 2017, this book and its related products have generated almost $80,000 in revenue.

But this would not have been possible if I hadn't first done the work of organizing my knowledge into a book.

How to Monetize Your Book

Here's how you can create multiple revenue streams from your book:

1. Workshops

Every chapter of your book should be able to generate a workshop. I encourage my clients to do a paid workshop every month. Even if you only charge $25 per person and get four people, that's $100 a month that can help get your business out of your pocket.

2. Online Courses

If you have a 10-chapter book, you're talking about at least three online courses. This is a great way to scale and reach a broader audience while generating passive income.

3. Coaching Programs

If your book tells people how to overcome a particular struggle or achieve a specific goal, you can create a coaching program based on that content.

4. Speaking Engagements

Don't just look at the honorarium when evaluating speaking opportunities. Look at the audience. If they're your target audience, you may decide to speak for free to be able to sell books and get people on your email list.

5. Additional Products

Create workbooks, guides, or other supplementary materials. I even have a client who wrote a poetry book, and then we created a workbook with journal prompts based on his poems that he now uses when he conducts workshops.

Your Next Steps

Here's what I want you to do after listening to this episode:

Identify your biggest obstacle. Is it self-doubt, procrastination, time management, or not knowing how to monetize? Be honest with yourself.

Take control of your time. Start with just 30 minutes a day dedicated to your book project.

Set up an accountability system. Find someone who will check in with you regularly about your progress.

Start thinking beyond the book. As you write, consider what workshops, courses, or coaching programs could emerge from your content.

Embrace a growth mindset. Remember, you don't need to know everything before you start. You can learn as you go.

Closing Thoughts

Now, if everything we've talked about today resonates with you, but you're thinking "Vanessa, I need the accountability, the step-by-step guidance, and the community support to actually get this done," then I have something incredible for you. The Black Friday Challenge starts soon and enrollment is open right now.

This is my comprehensive 16-week program where I personally lead a small group of authors on the complete journey to write, publish, and promote their bestselling book. We start Monday, August 11th at 7 PM Eastern.

In just 16 weeks, you'll learn how to complete your rough draft in as little as 4 weeks, organize and outline your book, work with editors and designers and publish on Amazon and other platforms.

You get 16 live weekly classes with me, access to our exclusive Facebook community, special handouts and worksheets, recordings of all sessions, two one-on-one coaching calls with me personally, PLUS lifetime access so you can come back whenever you want to write another book.

But here's the thing—class starts Monday, August 11th. Don't let another year go by wondering "what if." Your book is waiting to be written, and your message deserves to be shared with the world. Head over to TheBlackFridayChallenge.com right now and secure your spot before we're completely sold out. Trust me, this challenge has been life-changing for so many authors over the past several years, and I can't wait to help you become the next success story.