Laura: [00:00:00] Hi there, welcome to the whole heart of business show this week on the show. I’m talking to the lovely Meg Calvin. She is a marketing coach for business owners, and she will help you write, market, and sell your Amazon bestselling book.

Laura: If you’ve ever thought about writing a book in your coaching business, then this is going to be the episode of the show for you. Let’s dive in. 

Laura: Welcome Meg to the whole heart of business show. I’m so excited to have you on. I know we were just saying before we got started I’m really excited to talk about this topic about writing books and Amazon, but I’m not going to get go too far.

Laura: I’m going to let you introduce yourself and tell our listeners and viewers a bit about you and your work. 

Mel: Okay, awesome. I so appreciate the value of your coaching business that you’re focused on the whole person, not only their income, but also, or their business strategies, but also their, their, their personal lives and that the health of their soul and the health of their friendships.

Mel: And I just, I [00:01:00] so am so excited to be here. I am, yes, you’re so welcome. I am a writing and marketing coach, so I help. Writers do the deep spiritual work to write, market and sell their Amazon bestselling books on Kindle, Paperback and Audible. I launched my Koji business in 2020, January and went full time with it August of 21.

Mel: And before that I was in the non profit world and I, I love to, I studied pastoral care and I studied writing curriculum. So and over the past five years. I have grown a team. There’s seven of us now, me and six other amazingly intelligent, compassionate, creative people. And we, I, I call ourselves, we are the, the HelloFresh, if you will.

Mel: That’s this meal delivery program that we, we make every, we provide everything that writers need to write, market and sell their books in a very fun and easy and personalized way. So that is, that is. [00:02:00] that is a big part of who I am. 

Laura: Yeah. Well, that’s amazing. And like I said, I think this is such a really interesting topic and I know it’s going to be of interest to so many of the people who listen and watch the show because there’s just something special about writing a book.

Laura: Obviously I’m really a big fan of blogging and obviously podcasting and doing videos. But there’s something different about having a book that just feels really profound. So I know that a lot of people will be really interested in this.

Laura: So, I just wanted to talk a little bit about, kind of like, just the, and obviously the people who watch and listen to the show are health and life coaches, in lots of different niches. But, When it comes to writing a book, obviously you’ve got the book itself and that has value, but how do you kind of see, creating a book and selling it on Amazon in different formats, kind of fitting into the overall strategy for a lot of people in terms of marketing?

Laura: I’d love to get like a better understanding of perhaps how some of the people that you’ve helped, what that looks like all as like one kind [00:03:00] of system or strategy together. 

Mel: . So the majority of my clients now, I’ve been so honored to serve 63.

Mel: In five years, the majority of them now are business owners and coaches. What that means is they want their book to be a lead magnet that will passively build their email list five years from now and evermore. And they want their book to be a representation of them outside of the internet for their leads and their clients.

Mel: They also want their book to. Position them as the authority, a trusted guide from the trenches on their subject matter. So that opens the doors if they want it, that opens the doors for more speaking opportunities where they can wait, they can sell their resource. The majority of them, these books are either memoirs.

Mel: Or they are their online courses or their workshops transposed into book form. Okay, so that answered part of it. And then the next part is the marketing strategy. So there are, there are seven [00:04:00] pillars that I teach that assures the book gets to Amazon bestseller status. And we don’t only like to get there because it sounds sexy in our social media bios to say that we are an Amazon bestselling best author.

Mel: We like to get there because. To no surprise, it pleases the algorithm gods. And when a book hits bestseller in a category on Amazon, Amazon will, and it should be noted 75 to 80 percent of books worldwide are bought on Amazon. That makes some people angry, but I’m all for it. And so so once it hits bestseller in a category.

Mel: Amazon will push that book out to more people on the bottom of the the books. If ever you buy something, you know, at the bottom of Amazon, it will say you might like this. Well, once your book hits bestseller in a category, it’ll be pushed out more to people buying similar books. So that’s the main reason.

Mel: Of course, we like to position people as an authority and a trusted guide, but we really want to get it to bestseller. So the algorithm will help us on [00:05:00] the marketing front. And so I. Of the packages I offer, I will meet an author wherever they are on the journey, whether it’s I have a finished manuscript, or I have an idea on a napkin, or I just want marketing and brand building, or I just want publishing.

Mel: I have a variety of packages. However, regardless of the type of package, the pre launch marketing is about three and a half months that we’re doing. And I, I’ve had authors that already have established audiences. Some do not have an established audience. And three and a half isn’t a time we’re. Sling and grinding by the time the drops three and a later the author for success.

Laura: Yeah. Yeah. That’s amazing. It sounds, it sounds really fascinating. And I mean, I talk a lot in my work about non social media based marketing and obviously this is like a perfect example of that I’m assuming Amazon is used a bit like a giant search engine to a certain degree. Is that right? Yeah.

Mel: And part, one of the seven [00:06:00] pillars we work with is keyword and category research. So what people are looking for will lead them to your, your book will make it match. 

Laura: Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that’s really fascinating. And then in terms of, I think again, where, where people haven’t really explored this, I think we’ve certainly got this kind of view of traditional publishing where you have to sign with a publisher and, you know, you know, it’s all like a very traditional way of.

Laura: Creating books, but that’s not the case on Amazon, is it? You can literally just self publish or obviously with the support of someone like yourself. What does that process look like comparison? Because I mean, I’ve written recipe books and have them published down the traditional route.

Laura: This is going back to when I used to be a health coach. That was the traditional route and it was, you know, working with a publisher and they would put it out and all that kind of stuff. 

Laura: It’s very different now, isn’t it? And I think the approach with Amazon gives everyone a lot more opportunity and power, but I’d love to understand the differences between the traditional publishing industry and the way that it can work now. 

Mel: Yes, definitely. [00:07:00] The I Was Like You was in the traditional publishing world with my first two books starting back in 2016, and the game has beautifully changed so much.

Mel: It’s no longer do we need a traditional publishing company to give us permission to validate that we are intelligent, to validate that our idea is good enough. It’s no longer called vanity publishing for a reason. Mm hmm. The main, the main differences that I would say, and on my website I have this whole chart that shows the differences, but the, the four that pop out at me is the, the partnership aspect, when, when, now, when Amazon first started.

Mel: They’re self publishing. Sometimes it was not very professional looking. They were figuring things out. And so sometimes the, the fonts would mix match, they would, the, the lines of text would be crooked on the page and that is, that was [00:08:00] years, like more than a decade ago. Things now look so professional, especially when you work with a team like mine.

Mel: So the partnership aspect, Is with a publisher from my experience with traditional publishing companies. It wasn’t a true partnership that I could pick my cover that I could pick the font that I could pick the flourishings at the top of each page or other funky things in the margins. Those things were not.

Mel: Part weren’t partnerships. The second big difference is, is royalties. The average traditional publishing company is going to be around six to 14 percent of royalties to author, whereas with Amazon you can do 40 to 70 percent royalties goes back to the author and that, that big difference is there because.

Mel: Are you printing? Is there color? Is it? Is it a paperback? Is it a hardback? Does your book just live on Amazon or does it live elsewhere? Those sort of things. So the royalties are another massive difference. The other difference is. At least from with my company, working with me [00:09:00] instead of traditional publishing company is traditional publishing companies want you to most of the time already be an established author who knows how to, who has an audience, who has an established brand and who is an expert at marketing because they’re, they’re the majority will will not help you in that.

Mel: Whereas my forte, my area of genius on my team is. The brand building marketing aspect and also the, the deep, the deep subconscious or spiritual blocking that authors come to me with. So I, I get to make the author a marketing expert by the time our partnership is done. And then the last biggest difference is With traditional publishing companies, you can’t control your drop day.

Mel: And that’s massive when you’re playing the game that I play, which is pre launch marketing, not pre order marketing. With pre launch marketing, you’re building momentum and hype just for 24 hours and you want to get a certain number in 24 hours. So [00:10:00] you, you couldn’t play my game and work with the traditional publishing company because they, they won’t guarantee when your book comes out, which is For the majority of authors, there are a few exceptions, of course, the those that are already really established celebrities.

Mel: This doesn’t apply to them. But so, yeah, those are the those are the main the four main differences. Yes, and and now with the team I work with, the cover artist and the literary service provider and the audiobook editors, we are pushing out things that are professional quality because we are professionals.

Mel: And I’m so thankful for my time working with traditional publishing companies, because when I first, I learned so much, obviously, when I first started my business, my business model was in 2020, I will help you write to your work of nonfiction, build your brand. And then submit queries to publishing companies.

Mel: So I did that until 2023 and I learned so much and now I get to share it with, with my clients. 

Laura: Yeah, that’s amazing. That’s really, really [00:11:00] interesting. And I know that just as another thing as well is I think a lot of people have got that view of Amazon publishing is it’s, you know, it’s Kindle and I’m assuming obviously it is, but you can actually get your books printed, can’t you?

Laura: So you can actually get like in your actual books through Amazon. Is that right? Oh, definitely. 

Mel: 100%. 

Yeah. 

Mel: Yep. Paperback or hardback. Yes. And if you have the right team, they can look even more beautiful than things traditional publishing companies are putting out. 

Laura: Yeah, it’s just an amazing. potential tool that coaches could use for their marketing.

Laura: I know you mentioned there as well about the blocks that authors can have. What kind of blocks do you tend to work with people around? What kind of, what stops people doing something like this in your experience? What kind of holds people back? 

Mel: Hmm. 

Mel: It never 

Mel: is a lack of talent or a lack of a good idea with the people I work with.

Mel: I’m sure there [00:12:00] are some bad ideas out there. I’ve just never run into them. The people, because I am, I’m an amazing marketer. So the people I attract to work with, they are, they’re people of integrity and they, they’re, they’re service oriented. They’re writing to help people. And so it’s never a lack of talent or a lack of a good idea there.

Mel: Their idea is always Based on helping others. So the main blocks I see are about money there’s a subconscious story running that they’re not worth, their gifts aren’t worth monetizing, 

Mel: that 

Mel: it would be greedy and egotistical or materialistic of them to want to monetize their, their business, their coaching abilities, their communicating abilities.

Mel: So that’s a block. Another block is they, they have turned off. Their ability throughout the day to be mindful and to be touched by things they’re most most likely operating out of survival and lack, which we all have those seasons of life. And when, when we’re in those seasons, [00:13:00] it’s. It’s impossible to be touched by the muse, if you will.

Mel: We can’t just show up to the keys and all of a sudden be inspired. It’s this, the getting back into practice of being mindful, getting out of survival and lack mode on a daily basis. So that, that’s another, that’s another block. 

Yeah. 

Mel: And what’s also a part of that block is they have forgotten. Or they never knew how to ask and receive help and nurturing.

Mel: And those are, those are connected. And a lot of go getter, overachievers go through seasons where they struggle with that. And that affects the writing process. Because if you can’t receive help, if you can’t receive nurturing, you can’t. You can’t receive the muse or whatever you want to call that, that the book idea what you can’t hear the book talking to you.

Mel: Yeah. 

Laura: Yeah. Yeah. I was going to say as well, just what jumped into my head there is I think, 

Laura: that writing is often seen as being quite a solitary activity, but you’re kind of suggesting and saying that [00:14:00] it doesn’t have to be.

Laura: Is that right? What does that tend to look like for people? 

Mel: Yes, every, every author that I serve has different blocks and different needs. And I, I love providing. A template where we’re designing. I’m basically I serve one of the ways I serve is those like those tabletop topic discussion cards where you get the you get, you know, you break the ice and conversation.

Mel: So I am asking questions. I’m providing a template for the book. I’m pulling things out of them. I am hopefully doing my job right by aligning with the author, but also the book because I believe the book has an energy of its own. And sometimes the block has nothing to do with writing at all, but it’s, we’re all, it’s all of, all the parts of us are integrated.

Mel: Another block that’s coming to me that’s common is the author is at an impasse with the book. The book wants to say something that the author is afraid to say, [00:15:00] and that, that they, they are afraid they will lose respect, love, a sense of belonging from a guardian, a parent, a pastor, someone their tribe.

Laura: , do you find that people struggle as well potentially with, I know, I know that a lot of the clients that I work with sometimes struggle to own the label of being an expert in something, and I feel like writing a book is pretty much one of the biggest ways that you can say, Hey, I’m an expert in this thing, or, you know, this is something I really know my stuff around.

Laura: Has that come up for you before as well? That kind of. The fear or the other reluctance to really own their knowledge and their skills and, and, and actually being able to convert that into a book. 

Mel: Yes. Yes, definitely. And I, I remember being there myself with my first book. It had mindfulness exercises in it, and there was a part of me that felt, I can’t write this book, I, I need to get a, I need to do doctoral [00:16:00] work around neuroscience before I can teach mindfulness exercises.

Mel: Which is so, I was, as I said, I worked in the nonprofit world for 15 years, I had gone on to grad school the exercises I led, mindfulness based exercises I led, had led to fruit being born in people’s lives, and so, but yes, that, that fear was there that I’m, I’m not that. I’m not an expert. And so I, yes, that is, that is very, very, very common.

Mel: And I think that’s very, I feel like you will definitely echo this. I feel like that’s very healthy. And I hope, I hope that even 20 years from now, there’s still a part of me that feels I have more to learn. I haven’t arrived yet. And at the same time,

Mel: I am confident that I can answer the call of how I’ve been called to serve and help people and in, in this specific way. And the authors I serve, they tend to all be wired very similarly that they, they never arrived. And They’re, they’re, [00:17:00] they’re humble, but they’re also confident at the same time. 

Laura: I guess what it reinforces is that you don’t actually have to feel that you know everything to be able to sit down and write a book. That you don’t have to be at that position. It’s actually not a bad thing to still have that growth space.

Mel: One thing that was super helpful for me and the people that I serve is. The, the, the metaphor that if you were on a, if you were on a boat and you saw someone drowning, would you throw them your life, the life jacket off the boat? And of course everyone I work with says, yes, I would. And so let us, let us be empowered. I am, I am a very spiritual person, so I will use the word God.

Mel: Let us answer. how God has called us to serve or source universe and be bold and say, my, my book, I believe that this book that is divinely inspired is a life jacket and I’m going to throw it to you off the boat. And so coming at it from that place and trusting and trusting that the people were called to [00:18:00] serve.

Mel: They will feel our frequency. They’ll feel our motivation and they will feel, Oh, this, this person does want to help me. And if they don’t feel that way, they’re, they’re not our niche. They’re not our target market. And we’re not for them. And that’s, that’s totally, that’s totally fine. 

Laura: Yeah. Yeah, no, that makes total sense.

Laura: I think that’s such a good way to look at it. And it kind of, again, another thing that I often say to some of my clients is when we feel really stuck, it is getting into that place of being of service to people and helping people. And sometimes that’s the thing that kind of gets us out of ourselves, if you like, or gets us out of our own way a lot of the time, if we can focus on that service.

Laura: So when it comes to people, like, let’s say. you know, you’re a coach and you’ve decided, okay, so I think I want to write a book. What’s the kind of process look like in terms of deciding on a topic? Because I suppose for some people who have like quite narrow niches, it might be fairly obvious what they want to write about.

Laura: I know you also mentioned memoirs there a little bit as well, [00:19:00] but do you have any advice for someone who might be sitting down and thinking, okay, like I really think I’d love to do this, but I’ve got no idea where to start with an idea. Have you got any tips for people around that? 

Mel: Oh my gosh. I’m so excited you asked.

Mel: I, I have, I’ll give, I’ll give to you this 20 minute video and it’s a, the printable action sheet because we’re coaches and we use words like action sheet and it’s, it, the video takes authors through five questions and I’m so, so proud and so excited that everyone who has taken this questionnaire by the end of it, they know They’re what book idea they want to write about first.

Mel: They know the theme. So I will, I will give you that to share. 

Laura: Amazing. We’ll put the link in the description for everyone to be able to access that. That’s brilliant. So you’ve got a full process around coming up with the idea and then, what would be the next step in someone’s journey? I know obviously that you offer, like a, is it, am I right in thinking like a done for you kind of service in terms of [00:20:00] taking people through the steps? But what kind of steps would you take them through? Step by step if they were thinking about, yeah, I want to make this book a reality.

Mel: Yes, and I would say man, I think the first step even before the questionnaire 

Mel: would 

Mel: be speaking aloud. That that you have made a decision. I just I’m deciding by 2026 or whatever the timeline is that is an alignment for you. That isn’t coming from fear. It is. It’s coming from a conscious choice of taking radical responsibility.

Mel: Speak aloud. I decide I’m deciding today book. I see you. I love you. I hear you. I’m going to write you before February of 2026 and that That would be the first step, and then go into the questionnaire knowing that once the book. And this might sound kind of woo woo, but I’m totally owning it. Oh, 

Laura: yeah, it’s fine.

Mel: Once, once any idea, whether it’s a painting or [00:21:00] a piece of choreography or a book, the, once the book idea knows that you trust it and you believe in it, the, the volume is going to go up. Increase dramatically and it’ll start telling you a lot more about what it wants to say. So that’s the first step is making that speaking aloud your decision.

Mel: You’re making a commitment. And so okay, and then after you take the questionnaire I have courses, and so I have a 47, I’m in the States, so dollars however, I’ve been so blessed to serve clients from all over which is so exciting. Yay, internet! But, so I have 47 courses on it.

Mel: Outline made easy memoir, outline made easy nonfiction. And so those but outside of my products, the next step would be,

Mel: You have your idea, now set a timer, set a timer for about five minutes, and just mind, mind dump. If it’s a memoir, every main memory of that [00:22:00] you feel needs to be in here that was part of your character arc, good times, bad times, times where there was a conscious choice.

Mel: Made as the main character of your story and just dump, just write down, just get the memories out would be the first step for for a memoir. And then if it’s a nonfiction similar set of set a five minute timer, but instead of memories, you’re going to be dumping on the paper. Your, I think about your ideal reader is, is you as a version of you from probably five to seven years ago and think about the.

Mel: The pivotal lessons that took you from where you were seven years ago to where you are now in your subject field those three steps would be.

Mel: Super, super helpful. And I feel like the questionnaire, that little video I’ll send you, that will also open the door for it to help with the mind dumping process when you’re just putting everything out because sometimes we think, Oh, I don’t have enough to say, then often it’s the exact opposite. [00:23:00] Too much to say.

Mel: You got to trim the fat. 

Laura: Yeah, I mean, I started this podcast thinking I’m never going to be able to have enough to say and I’m on like 162 episodes or something now. So it just goes to show that anyone who’s thinking like they might not have enough to say to fill a book, you might surprise yourself. 

Mel: Yes.

Mel: I will. I will also, I will also say that I love doing. They’re very sacred, but, and they’re complimentary. And my business coach says, don’t say complimentary, but I’m, I’m sometimes coaches do set, do charge, they, they make a monetary value exchange for exploration or breakthrough calls. And I, I feel that’s part of my service is I love hopping on hour long zooms with authors every week.

Mel: And even if a partnership. It isn’t in the stars for us. My goal is they leave that hour with more confidence, more clarity, more direction and more, more resources. And most importantly, like all great salespeople, they leave very clear on the [00:24:00] true reason they haven’t written the book yet. And so that’s what I’m showing up to help them with.

Mel: So that would also be another first step for anyone to take is, is hop on a zoom with me and let me get you more clear. 

Laura: Yeah, it’s, it’s, it is just a really interesting like, like method of marketing. And I think. It wasn’t something I thought a lot about until I came across you. And I think, you know, what’s really amazing about the way that you’ve put this together and the way that you’ve communicated what this is about is, you know, it’s, it’s kind of non social media based marketing.

Laura: It’s very much, like, really similar to what I preach and talk about. When I talk about non social media based marketing as well in terms of creating like an asset that is going to work hard for you and know people are going to find it for years to come, which I’m assuming is going to be the case on somewhere like Amazon because like you say it’s got such a massive a number of people on there.

Laura: But And I think while, you know, I’m sure people can find out and figure out how to self publish and stuff on Amazon. I think it sounds like what you’re really bringing [00:25:00] to the table is this, what can get you on the bestseller list and you know how to market it correctly. Because I do know people who have done self published stuff before and it hasn’t really gone very far.

Laura: But it sounds like you know what people need to do to make sure that it gets picked up. 

Mel: Yes. Oh, definitely. Yeah. Yes. And you’re, it’s, I love your emphasis on non social media based marketing because we, we’re beautifully in this transitional time, leaving the age of information. We have content coming out of our ears and I can, I can learn anything on the toilet, on Wikipedia, which is gross, but people, people, people can, they can learn anything.

Mel: And so what they really want now, because we’re lonelier than ever, is they, they want more. They want to experience the modern day currency, which is respect and trust. They will not spend, they will not make a monetary value exchange with me or an author or a coach until they feel that they trust that person.

Mel: They relate to that person and they trust, they respect that [00:26:00] person. And so they, they want to have a connection with them that. Is human that and that, like you said, exists outside of the Internet and the book being in their bedside table or the book, your face, if your face is on the book, that being on their coffee table, it’s that little touch point of I have a, I have a, I have a relationship with Laura.

Mel: I respect her. I trust her. And anytime I have a question that comes up, I’m not going to go to the Internet anymore. I’m going to, I’m going to go over to Laura’s website. I’m going to go to her podcast and see, has she done a podcast about this question I have? 

Laura: And like I say, I think for a lot of people who are starting to move away from social media and aren’t finding it very satisfying, it’s a, it’s a whole other method of marketing that, that they could explore. There’s just one final question I wanted to ask a little bit, just, just, just sort of interested it’s the time required to write something.

Laura: I think that’s maybe a barrier for a lot of people is the thought of having to sit down for like months and months on end. How long does it take generally speaking and your experience for someone to write a book? And, you know, for, I suppose from writing to actually getting published, what’s that [00:27:00] timeframe often look like?

Mel: Yes. If someone has six hours a week to write, they can be a six month package with me. And that’s write, market, sell it. If they have about two hours a week to write, that will be a, that’ll be a year. And that, that year includes everything in the writing, marketing, publishing, selling process. So and then I’m very, very, very, very dedicated to being flexible, pivoting and adjusting with the author when life happens, whether that is a car accident, a father dying COVID, I had to teach my kids at home, I had an author during that time.

Mel: And so we just again, this goes back to the most important step is speaking aloud your commitment to the book. And, and so no matter rain or shine, you’re, it’s done, you’re committed to serving others of that book. And so I will be, as, as you know, as a coach helping my clients pivot when they need to and to honor their, honor their promises to [00:28:00] themselves.

Mel: So yeah, but that’s, that is the. the time frame. 

Laura: Yeah, no, that’s right. It’s good to know because like I say, I think it’s, it’s one of those kind of open ended, like, questions that people probably wonder about thinking, is this like a massive, do I, do I not need to be sat writing back to back all day long?

Laura: It’s those kind of things that easily make yourself put it off, when actually it’s a lot more doable than you might think. of ordinary thought. But yeah, it’s really, really interesting. So I’ll put the links in the description to where people can find you, but do you want to quickly mention your website address and your social media handles as well and then people can go off and connect with you online.

Mel: Yes, definitely. I’d love to hang out with them at Instagram at HeyMegCalvin, and then my website is MegCalvin. com, and then I will, I’ll send you the link to the, so they can enjoy the five questions to know what book to write. 

Laura: Brilliant. I think that’s a really good starting point for everyone, isn’t it?

Laura: To figure out what kind of book they would want to create, but thank you so much for being a guest on the show. It’s [00:29:00] been really, really interesting talking about all of this. I’m sure it’s given lots of people, lots of ideas about potentially exploring this method of marketing and, and also not just that method of marketing, but I think there’s something about, as you’ve, as you’ve said repeatedly, and one of the things I’ve really loved about what you’ve said is that your book has its own energy and.

Laura: I think, I think people who often write books, there’s a bit of a call in there, isn’t there, to share something with people to help people in some way or share your story. So I think that’s a really lovely way to look at it. So thank you so much, Meg. You’re so welcome. Thank you