Meet Kim O’Hara, Book Coach

This entry is part 5 of 11 in the series Book Industry Experts

Book Coach Kim O’Hara and I connected on LinkedIn a few years back. I’ve enjoyed getting to know her and can highly recommend her services.headshot of Kim O'Hara Book Coach

  • Tell us a little bit about your business.

I am a Book Coach to Best Sellers®. I stand by that title with my company A Story Inside because I have seen eight authors alone this past year get to that status with fantastic books I have helped them germinate from a dream to distribution.

  • How would you describe your ideal client?

My ideal client is a go getter, ambitious, a thought leader and willing to invest in the best coaching for a book that can stand out among all the rest. They are seekers of higher education whether it be in the Navy, Masters programs, coaching programs or in their profession.

  • How did things change for you in 2020 and how did you manage to weather through the year during the pandemic?

In 2020, I finally leaned in to what people have been telling me to do for years and started a podcast You Should Write A Book About That, which is exactly what my clients have said to them so many times before they finally surrender to the process and write the darn book!  We are on all podcast platforms and very quickly passed the 15,000 subscribers mark in Covid.  On the show are all kinds of folks with stories to tell, who may or may not write a book, but they get their moment in the sun.

  • What is your favorite tip for using social media?

On social media I would not direct sell to people just because they are now in your network.  I always wince when someone friends me, I accept and six seconds later I am receiving some blanket pitch for their program or event. Get to know me first. Ask me about my day, or my business, or even make small talk.  People use social media as a knee jerk and it should be a longer game.

  • What are your goals for 2021?

My goals for 2021 is to increase the amount of white glove clients I sell and have more access to my teachings and coaching with entry level offerings like Own Your Authorship which launched for 8 weeks on December 28th.  Mindset work for people who are almost ready to make the leap into private book coaching but feel blocked.

  • Where can authors find you?

Authors can find me everywhere!  I am on LinkedIn and very accessible. I am also at my web site at astoryinside.com where an email is posted. If you sign up for my newsletter (which gives you a series of free teachings) you can know everything I am up to.  Also, if someone has a great story, I would love to consider them for the podcast. It is funny how transparent I am and people still hold back to reach out.

https://www.facebook.com/Astoryinside

https://twitter.com/Astoryinside

https://www.instagram.com/astoryinside/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/astoryinside/

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/you-should-write-a-book-about-that/id1504568100?i=1000497952835

  • Is there anything else you’d like to share?

I hope that everyone who is torn about becoming an author change agent reaches out so we can talk about how they can fully step into their greatness!

Bio

Book Coach to Best Sellers® Kim O’Hara knows how to get to the root of the story.  She guides her clients from the dream of writing a best-selling book through the creation to publishing and marketing.  Her authors have been on the Wall Street Journal top ten business books lists, USA Today top 150 and numerous Amazon #1 best seller lists as well as #1 in all of non-fiction. She has been a storyteller for over thirty years with a previous career as a movie producer and screenwriter.  She also has a successful podcast You Should Write A Book About That®  where she interviews fascinating people with a story to tell.  Her own memoir Kicking Abuse in the Ass, faces the effects of sexual abuse denial and recovery. She can be found at astoryinside.com.

Meet Kristie Purner, Copywriter

This entry is part 6 of 11 in the series Book Industry Experts

Kristie Purner and I connected on LinkedIn several years ago. I’m pleased she agreed to provide an interview for this series.Kristie Purner headshot

• Tell us a little bit about your business.

I am a marketing strategist and copywriter for influencers, change-catalysts, culture-shifters, and lightworkers.  I help businesses to ignite their impact so they can share their messages on a global scale.

• How would you describe your ideal client?

My ideal clients are heart-centered business owners such as coaches, healers, authors, speakers, and entrepreneurs.

• How did things change for you in 2020 and how did you manage to weather through the year during the pandemic?

Since most of my clients run online businesses, I really didn’t have to shift my business or marketing to reach them.

I was fortunate to attract some transformational leaders ready to launch new books and coaching programs.  It felts amazing to shine the light on such luminary leaders.

• What is your favorite tip for using social media?

Give first always.  When you share real value and your heart it always comes back to you.  Also, expand your outreach.  Join new groups where your ideal client hangs out.

• What are your goals for 2021?

Provide visionary leaders a high-profile platform to share their wisdom, enhance their brand, and attract their ideal audience.

Share books and programs dedicated to spreading messages of hope, love, inspiration, and positivity.

Deliver the best empowering content and resources to support individuals around the world in living deeper, more authentic, and inspired lives.

• Where can authors find you?

Right now I have a thriving practice working by referral only.  So I don’t have a website, but you can connect with me on the social media links below.

www.linkedin.com/in/kristiepurner

https://www.facebook.com/kristie.purner/

• Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Kristie Purner is a top marketing strategist and copywriter with a long track record of helping coaches, authors, speakers, and entrepreneurs to launch, grow, and scale their businesses.  She is a bestseller author.  Her two books, “Ignite your Impact” and “I Love My Life: A  Mom’s Guide to Working from Home”.  She has appeared on television and radio worldwide.  Her business advice has been featured on CNN, NBC, ABC, Fox News, NPR Marketplace, Business Week, and others.

Meet Chrissy Das, founder of This Edited Life

This entry is part 7 of 11 in the series Book Industry Experts

A couple of years ago Chrissy and I connected on LinkedIn and I invited her to schedule a time we could chat to learn more about each other and how we could support one another in our businesses. We have even done some work together.Chrissy Das Headshot

Tell us a little bit about your business.

I founded This Edited Life in 2015 to serve authors who need help communicating their best ideas. As a ghostwriter and editor, I help shape the books so that the author’s first impression is the best it can possibly be.

How would you describe your ideal client?

Most of the authors I work with are service-based business owners. They have been in their industry at least 5 or 10 years, often longer. The content they need are short-form pieces like blog posts and newsletters or long-form content like whitepapers and business books. The topics range across industry but what they have in common is a business focus, whether that be on their proprietary business process or on sales or leadership.

How did things change for you in 2020 and how did you manage to weather through the year during the pandemic?

2020 has been hard for a lot of my clients and it’s been challenging for me as well. My work life didn’t change very much because I have been working from home full-time for years. The main thing that’s changed is missing the in-person connections I used to enjoy. While I have clients all over the US, my local network is important to me and I’ve really missed

What is your favorite tip for using social media?

Focus on individual relationships. Make authentic friendships that you can take offline.

What are your goals for 2021?

My goals for 2021 are to do more of what I love. I am using this year to devote time to client projects

Where can authors find you?

www.thiseditedlife.com

www.linkedin.com/in/chrissydas

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Putting your work out there can feel scary. If you want a hand making your words more powerful, I am happy to help.

Bio

As a ghostwriter, I enjoy working with authors on their content strategy and websites. My clients are often service-based business owners and members of the creative community who rely on me to help them better communicate their thought leadership and grow their business.

Meet Becca Braun, Ghostwriter for Business Professionals

This entry is part 8 of 11 in the series Book Industry Experts

I’ve been managing social media for Becca’s company, Braun Ink, for over a year. Becca is easy to work with and has a growing collection of great tools for business learners.Becca Braun headshot

Tell us a little bit about your business.

The Braun Collection is a small, growing suite of True Business Adventure Tales, comic books, and conversation cards that intimately acquaint business enthusiasts with leaders across industries and geographies. Our action-packed tales and visual stories go deep fast to uncover the lives, backgrounds, obstacles, opportunities, and best and worst ideas of the decision-makers who have changed business.

For coaches and educators, our products include teaching tools such as teaching notes, presentations, short videos, and LIVE VIDEO VISITS with authors and subjects of the books and comic books. Readers of our books and comic books learn to synthesize and summarize key patterns of business executives, develop and support arguments on a variety of business topics, and show curiosity about the decisions made and not made by CEOs. In short, Braun Collection books, comic books, and conversation cards show decision-making as it is applied in practice by an executive across an organization throughout a career.

How would you describe your ideal client?

My ideal customer is a business enthusiast, business student, or business professional. Anyone who loves business adventures, reading books by and about CEOs, business comic books, case studies, conversation cards, and learning about the lives and decisions of executives and CEOs. People who really appreciate great writing and art. Our BizBio conversation cards are poetry and art combined.

How did things change for you in 2020 and how did you manage to weather through the year during the pandemic?

Not much changed in 2020. I did some video scripts instead of speeches. But my business model could adapt to an online world pretty easily. The main thing was the need to step back from business a fair amount, more than I anticipated, in order to help take care of my family. I have four teenagers and a few of them were struggling significantly with online school and the disruption to their worlds and schedules and social lives.

What is your favorite tip for using social media?

In my opinion, people shouldn’t post on social media just to post on social media. But, I think I am absolutely guilty, still, of doing that somewhat, so it’s a tip I probably should still listen to a bit more myself.

What are your goals for 2021?

I’m planning to do more honoring of my customers and clients in 2021 as I think that’s the best way to use social media. I’d also say high engagement with your audience is important, but again I don’t follow that advice very well, so . . . that’s something I should do more of in 2021.

Where can authors find you?

Braun Collection products for business enthusiasts can be found on Amazon. Business professors, students, and business professionals usually buy our products at www.braunink.com/brauncollection/ . I also offer extensive custom ghostwriting services for CEOs and others, which if people want they can also get at www.braunink.com.

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Bio

Becca is an innovator who combines business background with sharp analysis and driving creativity to achieve change and results for executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations. Becca has co-founded and led entrepreneurial companies, invested extensively in early stage technology companies, and worked at private equity funds. Early in her career, she worked as a management consultant and provided m&a advisory and shareholder value analysis services.

Becca is currently building the Braun Collection, a suite of True Business Adventure Tales, comic book case studies, and BizBio CEO conversation cards for a business enthusiast, business professional, and business student audience. As an avid writer who likes to support other entrepreneurs and executives, Becca has ghostwritten numerous executive memoirs and biographies, and storyboards; she has also ghostwritten hundreds of executive speeches. Further, she has been a blogger, served as a guest columnist for a leading newspaper, been a beat reporter for a daily newspaper, written award-winning academic works, served as writer and editor-in-chief of a travel guide, and published short fiction.

Meet Kathleen Becker Blease, Developmental Editor

This entry is part 9 of 11 in the series Book Industry Experts

Kathleen and I connected on LinkedIn last year. She’s one of many editors I’ve been able to connect with and add to my growing list of recommended editors for nonfiction authors.

  • Tell us a little bit about your business.Kathleen Becker Blease

I’m a fulltime freelance developmental book editor specializing in memoir, how-to/memoir hybrids, and how-to/leadership titles. “Developmental editing” means I work closer to the author’s creative process than, say, copyeditors and proofreaders, and I also ghost re-write manuscripts. I work on completed drafts of manuscripts and book proposals and provide deep edits and evaluations.

I’ve been blessed to have gained experience and coached among some of the best in commercial trade publishing on staff at Random House, Inc. An RH editor is trained to tune into and honor the author’s voice, so that’s my key skill. I’m also trained in writing direct response sales copy. I understand how to capture and engage the reader and, if the author would like, gently bake the marketing right into the manuscript, targeting the unique selling points of the book’s message, particularly for how-to/memoir and how-to/leadership titles. My ultimate goal as an editor, however, is to identify and remove the word obstacles between the author and the reader, so his or her message, story, and intention are clear and effective.

I’m a one-woman band and this is my only gig, so my work schedule is solely about my clients.

  • How would you describe your ideal client?

I love working with authors who take time to think things through and are open-minded about making changes to strengthen their message. They come from a variety of backgrounds, and their writing ability really doesn’t matter. That’s why I’m here. But their willingness to consider the editorial suggestions I provide is what I look for before signing my clients. I have an introductory process that helps facilitate that.

  • How did things change for you in 2020 and how did you manage to weather through the year during the pandemic?

This global pandemic has been rough on everyone, and I’m no exception. I lost my husband several years ago at the age of 48, so I’m somewhat sensitive about the possibility of losing another family member or putting my children through another loss. To put it mildly, COVID brought to the fore my sense of grief and uncertainty. I knew that if I didn’t get a handle on my mindset, I was going to have a tough time keeping my freelance business going and providing for my family. I know it sounds silly, but I decided to do something that I always wanted to do—watercolor painting. I’m sure you’re looking for a more business-oriented answer to this question, but I felt that God was moving me in that direction for a reason and decided to go with the flow. As I stepped out and pursued it, I could see His wisdom.

Sometimes silly things spark measurable benefits. I’ve never pursued art before, but watercolor fascinated me, and I wanted to come out of this pandemic with something positive . . . anything positive. Additionally, I needed to focus on creative, productive thoughts to keep me sharp as an editor, which was my first and most important step in keeping the home fire burning, so to speak.

My followers on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook regularly got a taste of my painting learning curve. And as I began posting, I captured and capitalized on yet another benefit: I could directly empathize with my ideal author clients about their creative process and putting themselves out there. It’s scary to be vulnerable, but it’s also relatable and builds trust. Authors get it. Now I get it. So, we get each other.

Watercoloring—and posting my progress on social media–turned out to be a unique and tangible marketing tool. It’s also very visual, as in, “Oh, yeah, you’re that book editor who likes to paint.” And there’s no doubt that I’ve found a new hobby that I don’t plan on giving up any time soon. It took a while after the March shut down, but by the end of July I did manage to sign a few clients—great clients, actually—to keep things going through 2020. I could focus, advance my editing and creative skills, and my confidence grew. God is good.

  • What is your favorite tip for using social media?

I firmly believe in finding one social media platform that fits your style and interests and putting your energies there, targeting and refining your list of followers and connections according to your skillset, work ethics, and belief system. Mine is LinkedIn. I also post on Facebook and Instagram. But my main focus is LI, and I’m specific about with whom I connect and who I follow. I don’t think it’s useful to cast a wide net and spend time on unfocused engagement; your engagement needs to somehow lead to building a network of like-minded professionals, a community.

  • What are your goals for 2021?

I think I’m just like everyone else . . . I want to get back to normal in 2021 . . . and I’d like to watch my son graduate from college. But my specific business goals are two-fold: 1) continue to find great clients with intriguing stories, particularly among memoirists and creative nonfiction authors, and 2) identify appropriate podcasters and bloggers and schedule interviews for spring and through the summer months. Guesting on a podcast, in particular, would be new . . . a little scary . . . and exciting for me.

  • Where can authors find you? Share your website and social media links.

The best place to find me is on LinkedIn!

www.linkedin.com/in/kathleenbeckerblease

  • Is there anything else you’d like to share?

I’d like every author, especially first-time authors, to know that I understand how scary it can be to put yourself out there. Totally get that. So, bear in mind that your message–your own story from your perspective–is unique, and you’re the only one who can tell it. If you don’t, no one else will, and there’s no need to let your writing level hold you back. That’s what editors are for, especially developmental editors.

Bio

Kathleen Becker Blease is an ex-Random House editor, now a full-time freelance developmental book editor. She has edited a variety of nonfiction and creative nonfiction topics—from Mr. Rogers’ educational techniques to healing multiple personalities disorder to the gift of black fatherhood. Kathleen is also a watercolor enthusiast and a retired homeschooling mom. She is the author of I Can’t Wait to Meet My Daddy and several gift books published by the Ballantine Books group at Random House, Inc., including Love in Verse, a Boston Book Review bestseller. She lives in eastern Pennsylvania in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains with her college-age son (who is awaiting campus to reopen) and their black cat Maybelline.