Are you a mental health professional with a passion for writing? There’s often an overlap between therapists and authors (the therapist-to-author pipeline needs to be studied!). Our own LIT co-founder Melissa Parks recently published her memoir, A Compassionate Mess (we shared more about her experiences of writing this book here). Since then, we’ve heard from many colleagues who enjoy writing blogs and newsletters and would like to take on a more ambitious writing project. So here are some tips if you want to write and publish a book as a therapist.
We invited Alyssa Berthiaume into the LIT Community to share her expertise in writing and getting books published. As an award-winning author, international book coach, and founder of The Write Place Right Time, Alyssa has extensive experience supporting writers through the writing and publishing process. She is a fount of knowledge for aspiring authors and her book, Do Not Write a Book… Until You Read This One is also a highly recommended resource.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to write and publish a book as a therapist. Alyssa shared these tips with us, and our members found them so helpful. We hope you do too.
(This event was one of our regular guest expert workshops inside our paid membership, the LIT Community. Join the community here to get access to the full replay and all our other events and resources!).
1. Treat your book like a business.
Many people think writing a book is all about the writing. But if your goal is to publish it and get it into readers’ hands, there’s much more involved than creating the manuscript.
Alyssa recommends thinking of your book as a business. The book is the product, your readers are your audience, and you are responsible for bringing everything together. That means you’re not just the writer. You’re also the project manager, researcher, marketer, and decision-maker. In other words, you’re the CEO of your book.
It’s important to remember that writing is only one part of the process. Publishing, editing, promoting the book, connecting with readers, and tracking sales all take time and energy too.
For therapists, this can require a mindset shift. Many of us are comfortable helping people but less comfortable marketing ourselves. Yet if you want your book to reach the people it was written for, sharing and promoting it becomes part of the job. Treating your book like a business can help you approach the process more strategically and increase the chances of actually getting it finished and out into the world.
2. Know what you are writing and why
Alyssa advises not to start writing if you don’t know what you’re writing, who you’re writing it for, and how it’s going to help the reader. Many books lose momentum because the author isn’t clear on these foundations from the start. When you know exactly who you’re writing for and what you want the book to achieve, it becomes much easier to stay focused and make decisions throughout the writing process. You need to know your mission, motivation, and message:
- Mission: What do you want your book to do for your readers? What is the impact or influence you hope to have on them?
- Motivation: Why are you doing this? What do you want this book to do for you?
- Message: What exactly are you saying in your book? Try to drill it down into a soundbite!
At any point when writing your book, you should be able to check back in with your motivation, mission and message to see if you are on the right path. This will keep you focused on what you’re actually trying to do.
3. Don’t overlook alternative publishing routes
Alyssa urges would-be authors not to overlook the different publishing models available. Publishing is much broader now than just the traditional route, and each option offers different benefits and downsides, from speed to cost and creative licensing and ownership.
Traditional publishing is just one option, and it has its downsides. While you don’t have to pay anything to be published, you do have to pay in the effort you have to put in. Getting a literary agent is an essential step, and a hurdle many can’t clear, as agents tend to represent only those with a large online following already. This narrows down who can go down the traditional publishing route (as our co-founder Melissa found out). It also takes time: expect years rather than months until your book hits the shelves.
Self-publishing can be the quickest, cheapest option and there’s no gate-keeper to hold you back. But the downside is that there’s no external quality control on your book unless you do it yourself. It also means that you have to figure everything out for yourself, which is why Melissa hired a team to help with self-publishing.
Another option is independent publishing, where you work with others who handle everything for you, but you pay for the privilege. If you go down this route, one benefit is that you retain all rights to your intellectual work. Hybrid publishing is similar but involves more quality control. If these options sound interesting, do your research to see if they could be a good fit for you, and be on the lookout for scams. You may want to find other authors who have worked with the publisher you’re considering to learn about their experience. Online reviews are another thing to look into.
There is no right or wrong way to publish your work, as long as you have considered the pros and cons and they align with your mission, vision, and values.
4. Don’t cut corners with your book
As tempting as it can be to save some money, you want your book to look polished and well put together. As much as they say, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, we all know it’s one of the first things we look at when we decide if we’re interested in reading a book. So, don’t attempt to design your own book cover on Canva. Hire a professional who will know what they’re doing.
The same applies to the inside of your book. Formatting and layout might seem like small details, but they have a huge impact on the reader’s experience. A professionally formatted book is easier to read and instantly feels more credible.
In the same way, don’t cut corners on your editing and proofreading process. It may seem laborious, but doing one round of edits just isn’t enough. And when it comes to proofreading, again, it’s worth hiring someone who does this for a living. Otherwise, you will miss things, and your reader will notice.
Final Thoughts on Writing a Book as a Therapist
Writing a book is a very different experience from writing a blog post, newsletter, or social media caption. It requires patience and persistence to keep going even when progress feels slow. But for many therapists, it can also be an incredibly meaningful way to share ideas and make an impact beyond the therapy room.
If writing a book is something you’ve been thinking about for years, consider this your encouragement to take the next step, however small that might be. And remember that you don’t have to wait until you feel completely ready. Many books are written one small step at a time, alongside client work, family life, and everything else that comes with being a therapist and business owner.
Have you considered writing a book, and if so, what would it be about? (Or maybe you even have a draft saved in a folder somewhere?) We’d love to hear – share with us in the comments! You can read more about our co-founder Melissa’s experience of writing her memoir here, and get your hands on a copy here.
If you’re thinking about writing a book, sign up for a free 30-minute Story Stroll with Alyssa to talk about anything and everything on your mind about getting a book out there. Or if you’d like to bring Alyssa to your group or organisation as a guest speaker, book a call to speak with her here.
And if you’re looking for more support, motivation and connection as a therapist running your own business, or you want some accountability as you work on a side project, join us inside the LIT Community! Our regular events allow you to connect with other like-minded colleagues, stay on top of your goals, and learn from guest experts like Alyssa. Join the LIT Community here!
