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It all comes down to your intention. What is your reason, your purpose, your motivation to write this baby? Build your cache? Create a brand? Open up new markets? Knowing the reason why you write what you write will help you determine what is the best form to express your words of wisdom.

The best thing you can do is be truthful with this one. Don't tell yourself it is for sharing who you are when you secretly have a desire to get more gigs, more money and more whatever. If you aren't truthful here, your whole book will be a fraud.

Part IV: The truth is always best. The Fearless Truth*!

The Fearless Truth* puts your perspective in order and allows you to truly decide what is the best vehicle for you and the book that is about to be birthed.

Before getting that kick butt editor and agent, you must choose what genre you are writing for. Now, I personally write a book and then the form it takes determines the genre. But most writers focus on the genre first since it will influence the style of writing you will use. Because an inspirational book is different than a self-help book, which is different than a memoir.

And remember, a book written for your speaking audience needs a different publishing choice than someone who has a desire to become a household name. If you speak to enough folks, ebooks and self-publishing will make you more money in the short run and maybe even in the long run. If you have a thriving website community, that may support you in obtaining a top agent and publishing deal but you need more than a strong database (it is mandatory) but also a message that is so YOU that no one but you could write, sell and speak about your book.

So many things to consider!!! And wait, you haven't even written the book yet! And in reality, your proposal sells your book. It took me three drafts and one year to write my "Fearless Living" proposal that garnered me a $200,000 advance. After my proposal sold (And I got clear on what my book was all about - a huge benefit of a tight proposal), my first book took me - in comparison - only four and a half months to write, the second book took me three, the third - one month, and the fourth book the writing time was back up to four months (I was shooting Starting Over full-time while writing books three and four). And no proposal was needed for books two through four. I had proved myself on proposal one. (Yes, it was that good!) Just ask fellow coach Andrea Lee.

So back to that truth thing. What is the real reason behind your words, your writing and your desire?

If you could only say one thing and one thing only, and the world would hear it and respond....what would it be? If you could share one story about yourself and only one but that story would so show the world your humanity and who you truly are - at the heart of everything (usually not a pretty one) - what story would that be? If you could imagine one person reading this story and truly finding out who you are, who would it be?

That is your message, that is your pathway and that is who you are writing for. Start writing. Begin somewhere. Start journaling. Start jotting down your brilliant thoughts and stuff them in a box. Pay attention to what gets others attention when you speak, coach or just converse. Become aware of who you want to be, who you need to be really, to be the beginner that must be present for this fledgling idea to take off. (And just because you have been a successful coach doesn't mean you aren't a baby in this arena. Trust me on that one!)

Coaching moment: We must get in to who we are to get out of us what is ours to share, and ultimately to live!

I encourage you to write, get published and share who you are with the world. Remember, there really is no such thing as competition. Always remember that. There is room enough for all of us. So please, jump. The water is fantastic!

*Fearless Truth is a trademark of the Fearless Family of Trademarks.

Feedback is welcome at ExpertSeries@choice-online.com
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This email is sponsored by The International Coaching Consortium for Coaching in Organizations ICCO invites you personally to attend the 6th annual symposium, "Leveraging Cultural Differences in the Global World" being held Oct 11 - 13 in Toronto , Canada . There will be conversations about organizations and coaching and how they interrelate. For more details see www.coachingconsortium.org/events- 0507.html.