20. The Time Is Write: Top Tips for Writing Your Book from Best Selling Author Rebecca Robertson

In this episode of the Empowered by Claudia Podcast, Claudia interviews the fabulous Rebecca Robertson, a successful author and founder of the Author Success Academy. They delve into topics ranging from Rebecca's coaching program to overcoming resistance in writing, the power of storytelling for personal branding, and the unique Wattpad platform for authors. 

Rebecca shares valuable insights, actionable tips, and encourages listeners to embrace creativity, have fun in their endeavours, and seek support on their journey. The episode is a rich exploration of writing, entrepreneurship, and the importance of community in the creative process. You don't need to even be thinking of writing a book to gain so much from this episode and as Rebecca herself says:

"Everyone has a book in them" - Rebecca Robertson.

Connect with Rebecca:

• The Author Success Academy
• Book your FREE Clarity Call about the Author Success Academy
• Authors and Entrepreneurs  - Write Publish and Sell Your Books - Facebook Group
• Rebecca's website
• Instagram (author) Instagram (coach)
• Podcast

Transcript

So you've mentioned a little bit about your Author Success Academy are you able to tell us more about it [00:21:00] and how it helps aspiring authors on their journey?

And what can people expect 

Rebecca: from it? Yeah, absolutely. So it's a six month program and it's like a group coaching program. And essentially you get access to a portal of modules that will essentially run you through, I mean, it starts off with the the mindset piece that we've already spoke about. So. The first thing we do is get super clear on what you want, why you want it, like, we get a game plan going and it just kind of walks you through a, the process of writing your book, publishing your book, selling your book.

There's all sorts of money mindset lessons in there because that's a huge fundamental part of, you know, business strategy and Yeah, like creating, like I said, creating a business strategy that works for you, the individual author or business owner. So that's a self paced section of the course and that covers [00:22:00] self love, creativity, and business strategy.

That's my three core pillars. On top of that, you also get access to weekly coaching calls. You know, more often than not, it's from me. I do like live trainings. We do like monthly business intention setting sessions. And then we do like business evaluations and some kind of live training. I also have guest experts come on there.

I'm building a really big kind of like group environment, I suppose, where authors can get together. Because a lot of I mean, I think just business in general, but certainly with writing, it's, it's good to have a network of other people who are just doing what you're doing around you. And, you know, you can give each other advice, you can swap manuscripts and become critique partners and things like that.

So a big part of it is the community as well, which I love. I'm really enjoying building that. And yeah, and just being surrounded by like minded people and learning as you go in a way that's fun [00:23:00] and in a way where you just feel held and supported like you mentioned in the intro how when I was on my writing journey I really craved this exact course and this is honestly the reason why I created it.

That's my why, like I know there are people out there who do feel a bit alone, especially with writing books, like being an author is quite a a lonely occupation like you are on your computer a lot and you sometimes like you're talking to all your fictional characters or you're talking to yourself if you're writing a self help book for example but it's nice to just have someone in your corner for you to go hey like i need some help with this or what can i do here and i'm just like I'm the business bestie that I needed years ago.

It's the best way to kind of sum it up really. 

Claudia: Yeah, totally. It is. And when you are going through something that's completely new, it's really nice to, it's like that kind of novice expert relationship. It's like that mentorship of like having someone [00:24:00] to bounce ideas off and troubleshoot and having that group of.

like minded people who are all writing books, and I'm assuming it's for any genre of book as well. Yeah. Oh yeah, I should have mentioned that. Writing you know, they go across the board, don't they? I mean, they publish things differently just because it's a different genre. 

Rebecca: Yeah. I 

Claudia: mean, a lot of it is. I assume, I may be wrong.

Yeah, 

Rebecca: no, right. Yeah, I should have said that. For like, for any author, fiction, non fiction, romance, sci fi, self help cookbooks, journals, whatever, like, across the board, because what what I'm teaching in the modules is very, and very, there is a lot of stuff that's very universal to just marketing, branding, creativity, writing schedules and stuff, but I also have a Almost like these little branches where I'll have a certain section that I'm like, this is just for fiction and this is just for nonfiction.

So there, there is that level of detail as well because obviously I never wanted my [00:25:00] program to be too broad. You know, you want it to be very personalized to the person, but that's why I do these weekly coaching sessions as well to really bring in some more live trainings. But yeah, any and all.

Authors and business owners and even people who are just considering writing a book, it doesn't really matter what stage of the writing you're in, like, you could be an aspiring author, you could be two years into your journey, like, this, yeah, the program caters to a wide range, which is really something that I'm proud of, yeah.

And did you 

Claudia: have any, like, did anything hold you back when you first, you know, in that first bit, when you first put out the first chapter of your book? Did you have anything that you needed to overcome, like any fears or anything like that, that was like, kind of niggling away before you actually put it out there?

Or were you just like, yeah, yeah, it's fine, we'll put it out there? 

Rebecca: To be honest, when I first put my book out, I don't think I had any resistance, purely [00:26:00] because there was no expectation. I think about one person read it back then, so I was like, well, this is fine, like, it's just a bit of fun. I didn't have any kind of idea or intention behind what I was doing.

But I, that being said, like I have since felt that resistance. So I'll talk about that because I think it's really important to address. Like we often experience, like whether it's imposter syndrome, just lack of confidence. And it's really something that is quite normal to experience. So I think the first step is to just acknowledge Like, it's okay to feel like this, like, some of the best, most successful authors in the world will experience elements of lack of confidence, it's just human nature, but the first step is just being aware that it's there, and asking yourself like, oh, I wonder why I feel like this, get curious, but I think, for me, something that really helps with that whole process is disconnection, [00:27:00] like Your book is your book, like it's your baby, and whether you're writing fiction or nonfiction, the words that you are writing are so close to your heart and it is, it's like your baby, but there becomes a point in the writing process where it's no longer yours, you know, and I often say to myself like, This book that I'm writing has this important message or it's going to help so many people just escape for a couple of hours and by not putting it out there by prolonging the inevitable by pushing back the publication date constantly because I'm scared.

I'm doing a disservice, like I'm depriving the people that need this book from reading it because I'm almost being too selfish because I don't want to put it out there. And it's a bit of a weird way to look at it but I find it really helps, like it's no longer my book, it's the world's book and I'm doing a disservice by holding on to it, like I'm here in the corner like, hoarding my book [00:28:00] and it's like, that's not, that's not for me to decide, like I need to put it out there, people need this book.

And I think that's the best way I can kind of advise people when they, when they experience that lack of confidence, the imposter syndrome, is to just disconnect. It's not your, it's not about you anymore. You're the author, the book will always be yours, but it's the world, it belongs to the world now. It's like, I don't, I mean, I don't know, I don't have children, but I guess there comes a certain age where you've like, I don't know like when they go to school for the first time and you've just got to let them go.

You've got to let them do their own thing. That's like how I see it. You've got to let your books 

Claudia: go. Yeah, I have heard a few people who've like published books saying it was like birthing a book in that the fact that you kind of like work for so long and you're a little baby and I've definitely heard that term around it.

Yeah, like and it is you. Yeah, because I feel like You're [00:29:00] quite vulnerable because you're putting whether it's fiction or fact, or sorry, fictional nonfiction, whatever, like Your, it's your perspectives, it's your ideas, so by putting them out on paper and then putting your name to it, it's kind of like your Being quite vulnerable.

Yeah, because you're literally showing people like you're cracking yourself open really and saying like this is me And yeah, that's yeah, it's quite interesting to kind of like put that out there We've obviously talked about like my idea for potential autobiography. Yes, your brilliant idea, but yes But it is and I do have a lot of kind of resistance to being like, Oh, wow, that's a lot, you know, to really like open up completely and just be like, this is me.

Rebecca: I think for you, obviously you're writing. Non fiction, non fiction tends to be a little bit more [00:30:00] personalized, like it's almost like an autobiography at times and so yeah, of course you're going to feel vulnerable putting that out there. But you know, there are, there are, with your book specifically, there will be so many women that resonate and so many women that will take inspiration and power from your words.

And it's just, I think it can really help to connect to that and just know that you're helping other people by. By doing what you're doing. Yeah. Yeah. 

Claudia: That's really helpful. So I've got a slightly different question now. So obviously you are an excellent storyteller with all your books and obviously writing at its core is storytelling.

And how do you believe that storytelling could actually be harnessed to create a compelling personal brand or business identity? Mm, yeah. 

Rebecca: We kind of spoke about that, didn't we? Just before? How people are interested in you, the author behind the books, not just the books. Like obviously the book is your product.

[00:31:00] That's the thing you are selling and. You will find that people will find you through your books, they'll come through the books but really what gets them to stay is you and your personality. And I think this is a really interesting subject because I work with authors who are on like one extreme to the other, like I've got authors who are quite open on like social media with their branding, they share their life, they share their face.

And then I've got others who have pen names, for example, and maybe don't show, share their face. And I think it's really important to just say that you can be successful as an author who is very present and shows their face, and as an author who doesn't. Like, there are different strategies that you can use.

And again, it goes back to this, do what feels right for you. But I think definitely, There is an art to sharing pieces of yourself as far as like as well as far as you're willing to go like you can share [00:32:00] everything, or you can share just a little amount and it's still got the same effect it's still going to have the same results.

And I think yeah it's really important to really intentionally think about what kind of brand you want to create what, what it is you're trying to say what your message is, I think for me like. I don't know why this always sticks out for me. So I used to work in marketing in London. This was way before I was writing professionally as well.

So I don't know why this sticks out, but it always does. My company paid for me to go to this like training day, you know, the, the good old boring training days I used to have to go on. And I don't even know what it was on. I think it might have just been on like consumer behavior, like customer, I don't know.

Anyway, this guy was talking about how we used to like when I was younger, I used to [00:33:00] idolize like celebrities, like pop stars, for example, and My thought process was always, Oh, I want to, I want to be them. I want the life of a pop star. Like, I would do anything to trade places with them. Like, I want to be them.

And apparently now that, that mindset, mindset has shifted. People see celebrities and other inspirational people. And instead of wanting to be them, they want to be friends with them. And I remember that always stuck out to me. I was like, yeah, I remember being little and I would like, I don't know, look at the Spice Girls or something and be like, Oh my God, how amazing would it be to be the Spice Girls.

Whereas now if the Spice Girls were around, the general consensus would be, I want to be friends with the Spice Girls. This is such a random. example but you know what I mean like people want to feel like they can [00:34:00] be friends with you. It's almost like you don't want to feel out of reach and you don't want that because that kind of creates this barrier I think between you when you become like almost Unreachable.

You want to feel like you're approachable. You want people to be in your space. And I think when you're creating a brand, you want to really help your audience or your readers feel seen, feel heard. And you want to almost be like their friend and be relatable and find. Those connections authentically and obviously when I say be friends like again you can take that as far as you're willing to go like I'm not saying you have to become best friends with everyone you meet online.

But you know it's just about creating that element of, I think, real lifeness and again it goes back to being authentically you and the way in which you do that is just telling your story, because that's what people resonate with, they [00:35:00] might come for the books but they're going to stay because of you.

Like, yeah. I'm a romance author, that's the books I write, but I talk about all sorts of crap on my Instagram stories and on my TikToks and yeah, I think it's really important to just be a real person sometimes. Like, some people do think we're robots writing books behind the screens and it's nice to just be like, hey, this is who I am.

I personally love it when I find an author and I don't know I find out they're interested in like Taylor Swift or something I'm like oh that just humanizes them like that's something we have in common like maybe I'm not so different. Do you know what I mean? And it's just, yeah I think it's really nice to, to tell your story and I think it really is that simple that's just such a Simple yet powerful business strategy.

Just telling your story. 

Claudia: We see connection with, you know, as humans, we love that connection. And I think, as you say, like you're bringing that part of that person to life and it's not so [00:36:00] distant then, aren't you from, from your audience and people who might be listening to you or watching you and they know that you're.

It's you writing it. They've not put it into some AI generation software that's, that's written it for them. Like you are sitting there typing those, those books. All of that inspiration is coming from your brain that's built those characters and brought them to life. 

Rebecca: And I think the powerful thing about that is when you start building those real life connections, eventually you will find that your audience and your readers will buy your book no matter what, like, hmm.

They don't even need to know what it's about, they don't even need to read the blurb, they are so invested in you at this point that whatever you create, whatever you put out there, they're ready to support you. And I know I do that, like there are authors that I know the second they announce a book, I'm like, yep, buying it.

That's on my Christmas list, that's what I'm asking for. Don't even need to read anything [00:37:00] about it, like, yeah, and I think that's the power of Definitely Brandon and storytelling. 

Claudia: Yeah, I love them. This is again really random. But I actually love series where you kind of like where there's like, maybe like a family, and then they kind of go through each of like the siblings or whatever.

Because as the books evolve, you kind of get different insights into the different characters and you really feel like immersed and like embedded. I prefer. Yeah. You're so 

Rebecca: invested in the 

Claudia: family, aren't you? You're like, rather than films 'cause they're too quick. Mm. Like I haven't really bonded with anyone.

Yeah. So yeah. Definitely can totally resonate with all of that. Mm-Hmm. I have a little question as well. See. You you publish your books on what pad? Yeah. And I dunno what, what pad is. Mm-Hmm. . And so I'm assuming that maybe some of our listeners dunno what it is. So could you like briefly explain.

what it is and how it works. Yeah, 

Rebecca: so it's basically a reading and writing platform. Anyone can [00:38:00] join. It's free to join. Anyone can write on there. Anyone can read on there. There's like, oh, off the top of my head, I think there's like over 90 million users. So you, as you can imagine, there are a lot of books on there.

And Yeah, it's just a, it's basically like the social media writing platform, and there are opportunities to monetize your books on there. I think at the moment it's mostly like invitation, so Wattpad will reach out. But there's all sorts of like fun competitions, awards that they do, and yeah, it's definitely becoming a really viable way for authors to start their their writing journey as a way to really build a career on the platform.

So, yeah, like I probably should have really described what that was at the beginning because It's been such a huge part of my life, but it's probably over six years now that I do forget that not a lot of people know what it is. And so, yeah, it's 

Claudia: a million [00:39:00] clearly do. Yeah. 

Rebecca: Yeah. So definitely like, 

Claudia: check it out.

So you say, for example, if I started writing on there, we'd like people to be able to send me comments or they've written it. 

Rebecca: Yeah, so that's one of my favorite things about Wattpad. It's, it really helps with that audience connection. And I think, to be honest, if someone was to ask me why, how I've managed to get so successful in this short amount of time, it would definitely be that.

I think what people, you write, obviously, your book per chapter and you upload it and then people can highlight a piece of your book, and then leave a comment on that specific line. So it's not just like per chapter or per book, you know, like when you leave a review, it's just one review. What pad you can literally comment on every single line if you wanted to.

So if the like character says something funny, or if you, if you're writing self help, for example, and you write something that's really informative, people [00:40:00] can comment on that specific thing and be like, Oh my gosh, this really helped like, thank you. And what I always have done really from the beginning, from the beginning of time, I've always responded to those comments.

And I, like I said, I think that's really helped me grow my loyal like readers and build that connection. And I have, I've become best friends with some of the people who started off being as readers. And I think it's just through that immediate. connection and that immediate feedback as well, like it can act as feedback.

So there has been times where I've written like this, you know, the bad character and then all of my readers fall in love with him and I'm like, Oh, I'm going to have to make him like really sweet now. Cause everyone's like, but you know, I think that's some really valuable information. Use your readers to direct the, to direct the writing process.

Like ask them what they want. Cause essentially. You're [00:41:00] writing, yeah, you're writing for you, but you're also writing for them and so definitely ask them and I think Wattpad's a great way to do that. So, yeah, should have started off explaining what that was. No, it's 

Claudia: fine, it's fine. I just kind of thought actually, while we're chatting, let's talk about it because it's really interesting.

This has been an absolutely fantastic conversation. So just to like wrap up,

it's been a really interesting conversation. So just to wrap up can you provide a, oh my goodness me.

So to wrap up, this has been a fantastic conversation, but I was just wondering if you could provide our listeners with any actionable tips or steps that you can take right now to move closer to their goals, whether that is writing a book, starting a business or embracing their [00:42:00] creativity in their daily lives.

Rebecca: Yeah, I think I think one of the biggest things is what we've talked about quite a lot throughout this whole podcast episode is to just get super clear on what it is you want and why you want it. And honestly, just take your time with this and have fun. It doesn't have to be something that you just know.

No, I think it's better to really let it brew and just over the next couple of days and weeks even, like, just ask yourself, kind of like that challenge you were talking about. Like, if you've had. this amount of money, what would you do? And I think, ask yourself, if there was no, like, time limits, no restraints, nothing holding you back, like, what would you do and why would you do it?

And I think once you get that clarity, the action will become more clear. And then from there, you might think, right, yeah, I'm going to write the book. Because I do think, There is a book in everyone, and there is so much potential for books, like, you don't have to write fiction or, you know what I mean, there's just an end, like, whatever you are an [00:43:00] expert in, there is someone out there who needs that information, and books are so, I mean, they're just timeless, they've been around for so long, and I think it's just because it's one of the, the nicest ways to retain information, or to receive entertainment, you know, whatever, you know, The book's purpose is, I think, definitely just get clear on what it is you want to say and why it's important for you to say it.

I think another piece of advice would just be to have fun. The more fun you're having and the more authentic you're being, the more people will respond and resonate to that. But also I think, you know, you deserve to have fun in your business. But also like, for me personally, when I'm looking after myself and I'm filling my own cup, I The quality of content that I'm creating is so much better.

So, the happier I am, the better my book is, essentially. Like, really, to simplify it, the more you look after yourself, the better your [00:44:00] book's gonna be. Really. The better your life's gonna be. Exactly. And I think, yeah, like another, another piece of advice. I think this is kind of really important actually, so this will be my last piece that really like hits home.

But I think really to just ask for help and ask for support. I think we as society are so proud sometimes we, we think we need to do it all on our own to like make it count like hey look I built this entire business by myself. How good is that and don't get me wrong there are people out there that do it but.

There's no shame in asking for help. Like I have an entire team helping me. Like I've got two manifestation coaches. I've got a business coach. My husband is like my podcast editor. And it's just about having a team of people who get you. And, you know, you might not even be in a position where you can hire a team, you know, especially if you're quite early on in your, in your business.

But, you know, listening to podcasts, like I'm [00:45:00] assuming you're listening to this podcast right now. Like. That is, doing that is going to help you like just constantly want to learn, ask people for help. Ask me for help. Ask, like I'm sure you do this to your, the people in your spaces, like people don't come to me cause they're like, Oh, I, I didn't know if it was okay cause like you're a coach and you've got your students and your program.

I'm like, yeah, but you can come and talk to Facebook group where I do live trainings. I am happy to talk books all day, every day, like. You know, there are so many people out there who I'm sure would love to answer questions. And so I think asking for help and getting that support and really just looking at how you can improve yourself, your personal growth, but also your business is probably one of the best piece of advice I can give.

And I'm sure someone has given me that piece of advice in the past and it was the best piece of advice I've ever received. Yeah, 

Claudia: absolutely. That's fantastic. [00:46:00] I joined your Facebook community knowing that I wasn't ready right then to write a book. I was like, if I'm in the community and I'm around people who are authors now talking about really writing a book, then that is like, there's this thing about like, you're the sum of the five people you spend the most time with.

Yeah. And basically I was like, well, if I surround myself with the people that I aspire to be like. Then that's going to come because we're going to have these conversations and like, I have these opportunities and, and be able to get this knowledge and find out about things like Wattpad. You know, just, just these little things and it doesn't, sometimes you can't pinpoint where the inspiration has come from, but I just remember you putting that post out saying we've got this new Facebook group and I was like, right, I'm joining.

I'm going to 

Rebecca: be there. 

Claudia: I'm going to be there. So yeah, absolutely. I'll put, I'll pop all of your links in the show [00:47:00] notes so people can find you. And can join the Facebook group and join the author success academy if that's what they want to do or just message you for more information. And yeah, it's been absolutely wonderful.

Thank you for coming on 

Rebecca: to talk to us. Thank you for having me. It was so fun. It was just like. Two girlfriends catching up. I love it. That's the aim. 

Claudia: Sure. Thank you so much. Bye.