A few months back, my daughter made me a friendship bracelet with the words “author era.” I wear it constantly, even when I’m otherwise dressy or formal. I love the sentiment of it: being in my author era, helping others step into theirs. Because that’s exactly what I do as a book strategist and coach.
I’m writing this post at the end of 2025, readying it for sharing in 2026. And as I do, I can’t help but think about you, dear reader, on the other side of the screen, dreaming of making this the year you finally write your book. Whether you’re reading this in 2026 or 2036, I hope you’re feeling refreshed and ready to finally step into this goal that you’ve held so long.
How do you do that, you might be wondering. It comes down to five things: mindset, systems, planning, discipline, and accountability. Hone these five, and this will be your author era year. Let’s take a close look at each, future author.
Step into Your Author Mindset
Considering the fact that around 10 million self-help books are sold each year, I think it’s safe to say that we humans are not necessarily the best at doing all the things we promise ourselves we’ll do. We set goals and break them. We hold dreams but take no action. We start to make progress but then we stop, letting our inner critic or outer obligations take over.
Honing an author mindset requires you to step into a new era: one where you let go of the past, embrace the unknown, and—most importantly—show up anyway.
An author mindset owns your author goal fully. You not only state your intention clearly to yourself, and maybe to others, but you also step into the year convinced that you’ll accomplish it.
Show up, not just because you have to in order to get the work done but because showing up rebuilds the self-trust that gets broken down by broken promises to yourself. And repeat after me: My book is already within me. I need to show up, clarify it, and write it.
Follow a System
Here’s where we get practical, because writing a book is a learnable skill, just like anything else in your life. Unlike in the movies, books are not written by moon-eyed writers sitting down at typewriters that overlook large bodies of water (here’s looking at you, Love Actually).
When you follow a proven system, like the one I teach in my self-study program, private coaching, and group coaching, you’ll be guided, step-by-step, to write your nonfiction book. The thing about a great system is that it gives you the foundation, and then you can bring in all the creativity and self-understanding to make the process your own.
For example, when I’m coaching authors, I teach a specific way of outlining, which follows an iterative process from sticky notes to a detailed, fifteen- to thirty-page outline. But some authors think and plan differently, so on the later end (the detailed outline), we will adjust the outline to match their planning style.
If you follow a great system, you’ll not only learn how to write a book, but you’ll now have a skill you can deploy for many books to come.
Plan for Success
Ah, the tried-and-true plan. Many authors try to skip this part, just like they try to skip past the ideation and outlining and jump directly into writing. But, like all things, a great plan is the productivity map that keeps you on track and enables you to celebrate wins.
As a general guideline, a great book can be ideated, outlined, written, edited, published, and well-promoted in eighteen months. A more aggressive timeline is twelve months. Faster than this, and you risk all sorts of quality control issues, missed marketing opportunities, and lost ROI.
Instead, I encourage you to create a detailed, specific, time-bound plan. Pick a celebration date eighteen months out from your start date: the date of your book launch party. Roughly plan two months for ideation and outlining, four months for writing, three months for editing, and nine months for publishing and promotion before the release.
Once you start to build the plan out, you’ll see the work and heart that go into every step. And, hopefully, you will see the value in slow and steady progress toward the BIG GOAL: becoming a published author!
Do the Work
Thomas Edison famously said, “We often miss opportunity because it’s dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
And look, writing a book is no small thing. It is work. It requires you to show up, regularly. You must show up tired. Uncertain. Scared. Show up when you only have ten minutes and when you are feeling frazzled. Show up even though your inner critic is screaming things like “Who are you to write a book!” and “This is crap!” and “Who will even read this?”
When I am coaching future authors, I often tell them, “Just get your fingers to the keyboard.” Start there. Set a low bar for success, even just ten minutes a day. While you’ll eventually need to make a bit more time per writing session—I suggest aiming for anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours—getting into the habit of showing up will serve you well over the long haul.
I encourage my clients to track their progress in project management software, a spreadsheet, or a paper tracker. Check off stages of your author journey as you complete them. And each time you complete a mini-milestone, have a mini-celebration, even if it’s just saying to yourself, “I’m doing this!”
Build Accountability
Research shows that you’re much more likely to accomplish your goals if you have scheduled accountability. That means you have a date on the calendar, such as a writer’s meetup, coaching call, or peer check-in.
I recommend a rhythm of every week to two weeks. For most people, monthly is too much time. It’s best if you have someone who also checks in with you to see how you’re progressing between meetings. Like most things, there are many ways to build this in—a one-on-one coaching, group coaching, local writer’s group, meeting with a friend who is also working on a book, and so on.
Some authors also use social media as another form of accountability, sharing behind the scenes as they work on their books. Announcing your book, and posting about it, means people will ask you how your book is coming along—and if you truly want to make your author goal a reality, that’s a great thing!
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As you move into this new year, or next month, depending on when you’re reading this article, I hope you’ll step fully into the mindset you need to realize your dreams, and that you’ll engage the system, planning, discipline, and accountability to make your dreams a reality.
You’ve got this, future author! I believe in you!
What is one commitment you’ll make toward your author dreams? Share with me in the comments. I’d love to cheer you on!
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