Christina Kaye of ‘Write Your Best Book’ On The 5 Things You Need to Know to Become a Great Author

Read. Read as many bestselling books as you can in the genre in which you want to write. Pay attention to the way the author writes their sentences, the balance between narrative and dialogue, how your protagonist’s journey should unfold, and so on. But don’t just read like you do when reading for leisure. Instead, underline, highlight, use sticky notes. You should see my copy of Wally Lamb’s I Know This Much is True. It was the first book I ever fell in love with, so I studied Lamb’s craft, the way he structured his story, how unbelievably compelling his characters were to me. All of it. That’s the best way to first get familiar with novels and how they should be written.

As part of my interview series on the five things you need to know to become a great author, I had the pleasure of interviewing Christina Kaye.

Christina Kaye is an award-winning author, author coach, book editor, podcast host, public speaker, and the Founder and CEO of WriteYourBestBook.com. The services offered through her website include author coaching and manuscript editing services, as well as online courses, downloadable resources, templates, and workbooks. It is Christina’s dream to change the narrative surrounding self-publishing and shift the way most people think when it comes to what qualifies someone as an author and what constitutes a great book.

Thank you so much for joining us! Can you share a story about what brought you to this particular career path?

Thank you for having me. My journey to my dream career was somewhat twisty and complicated. Although I always enjoyed creative writing and excelled in school when it came to essays and open-ended test questions, I didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming an author, like many do. I wanted to be on Broadway, believe it or not. But despite my slightly better than average talents when it came to singing and acting, life had other things in store for me. I wound up working for 22 years as a civil trial and litigation paralegal. I enjoyed the first ten years of that career path until one day, when I wrote an article for an online magazine for lawyers on the “many hats of a paralegal,” and comment after comment said that I should write a book. So, I did. Fast-forward over a decade. And on January 1, 2020, I walked away from my legal career and launched Write Your Best Book. I took my 10 plus year side hustle of helping authors by editing their books and coaching them through publishing, and to date, I’ve been able to help over 300 authors successfully write, edit, and publish their own books. I’m truly blessed.

Can you share the most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your career?

The fact that I’m even doing this for a living, at this stage in my lie, is truly interesting to me. Growing up, and even in high school, I was not like all the other kids in my class, who knew they wanted to be teachers, lawyers, doctors (I went to a very small private school). I was too much of a daydreamer. I couldn’t see myself working at a desk, wearing a smart pantsuit, or punching a clock. I had visions me living an artist’s humble life dancing in my head. But then, I met an army man, married him, had two babies (Irish twin girls), went to college, and I wound up at the desk, punching a clock, after all. I even wore pantsuits. But when I did decide to try writing a book about halfway through my first career, it was really just something I wanted to do for myself. I had zero aspirations of becoming a full-time author, let alone running a business where I get to create and help others for a living. But when my books started to gain some traction, friends I’d met online in the writing community began asking me to help them with their stories, critique their writing, edit their books, teach them how to publish, and so on. And that’s the interesting part. That’s how I became an author coach and editor. It wasn’t something I ever went out of my way to become. It just sort of fell into my lap. But I’m a firm believer that God has a plan for each of us, and that what’s meant to happen will happen. So, at the risk of sounding too philosophical, I do believe that, though it took me a couple decades to get here, I’m finally where I was meant to be. I’m finally living my best life. And it’s so fulfilling that it revolves around helping other people do the same.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in your journey to becoming an author? How did you overcome it? Can you share a story about that that other aspiring writers can learn from?

I sort of skimmed over that part in my first answer, so I’m glad you asked this. Hands down, the biggest challenge I faced early on in my journey was thinking that all I needed to write the Next Great American Novel were decent writing skills and a good story idea. With those items checked off the list, I dove right in and just started typing away like a madwoman. Needless to say, it flopped. Like, even the crickets were silent. And after a year or so of painful, humiliating, and dream-crushing rejections, I gave up. But…my father had no idea because I was afraid to tell my successful, accomplished, overly proud parents that I had so easily thrown in the towel. And that Christmas, he eagerly handed me a copy of Stephen King’s On Writing. Feeling like a jackass, I accepted the book, and eventually, I wound up reading it. And that’s when every bit of my thought process shifted, and I realized what I’d done wrong. I’d put my anxiousness to see my book in print ahead of all rational thought as to what it really takes. So, I devoured every single resource on writing novels I could get my hands on, and I spent 2 years actually learning the craft of writing then planning and developing my next story. And that is when everything changed for me. I got my first agent, which led to a book deal, which led to five book deals and a couple national book awards. I gave my process a goofy name (The Book Boss System), and that is what I teach my clients today — to slow their roll, learn all they can about their chosen craft, and learn the business of being an author. Then (and only then) should they try writing that book.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

It wasn’t funny at the time, as is the case with most mistakes we make. But it’s hilarious to me now when I think back on how insecure I was in every aspect of my life when I first started this business. Looking at my social media accounts now, my so-called headshots (all selfies), and the energy I try to bring to my brand, you would never guess that, just two years ago, I was petrified by the thought of showing my face publicly. Rewind about 5 years. I was fresh off my very painful divorce, and my daughters and I were finally out of a very toxic and unhealthy environment, but I was so broken it was ridiculous. I gained some weight after a premature hysterectomy, not a ton, but enough that I hated seeing pictures of myself. From about 2013 until recently, you’d be hard-pressed to find a picture of me anywhere in the family photos. I was incredibly unhappy with my life, myself, and especially my appearance. But I was too exhausted to do anything about it. And honestly, there was nothing motivating me to do better…to be better. Fast forward again to early 2020. I knew from my many months of research into starting and growing a brand, that I should be sharing myself, warts, and all, with my audience. But every time I hired a photographer for a headshot photo session, none of them knew how to shoot for “curvy” women. And every single picture made me feel like a potato with arms and legs.

It wasn’t until I started following Jenna Kutcher — a major business influencer whose podcast and online presence focus on being happy in your own skin — that my perception of myself and my attitude toward self-care completely shifted. I will never forget her saying something one time along the lines of “self-care is freaking hard!” Knowing I wasn’t the only one feeling this way, I started taking better care of myself every day. I lost a few pounds, but it was more about being comfortable in my own skin and not caring what someone might think about my weight or my perpetually overdue hair highlights, or my southern accent…you name it. I started taking selfies on days that I felt okay with me and let my personality shine through any perceived flaws. And now, that’s exactly how I feel. Not only am I very much my true self when I speak or do guest appearances or go live on social media, but I encourage authors to do the same. Because after all, how can I tell them to be the face of their brand…to be comfortable with themselves…and to be genuine and relatable with their reader audience if I’m not willing or able to do the same thing? So, yeah. It’s actually funny for me to think back on how shy and insecure I was just two years ago, compared to how vocal, unabashed, and sometimes “much” I am now.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

Oh, that’s a tough one. I’m excited about all my current and future projects! As a creative right-brainer with severe ADHD, I admittedly have a hard time focusing on one project at a time, especially when I know they are original and game changing. I am writing a nonfiction book centered around The Book Boss Method, I’m always creating new content, templates, and tools for my clients, but recently, I decided that sharing those resources with every author who can use them is a much better use of my skills and resources. So, for now, we list several of my best resources in our Etsy shop (Write Your Best Book), including wordcount trackers, an author branding kit, character development toolbox, and a digital planner authors can use from the moment they have an idea all the way through their launch. But since there are very few places you can find gifts and fun things geared toward writers, we also just began listing shirts with apropos sayings, coffee mugs, notebooks, tote bags, and wall art with inspirational writing quotes. But hopefully by January, I’m moving all my resources and gifts for authors directly onto my website because that’s also where I’m going to host a bunch of mini courses for authors they can digest in an hour or less, on topics from writing craft to publishing to marketing and branding, all for under $100. For now, and for as long as possible, I’ll continue to offer my services as an author coach and editor, but I’ll never stop putting out free, helpful content that will actually give authors information they can put immediately into practice. I do this every day on my social platforms, on my blog, my podcast, and my weekly live events. My goal is to reach as many authors as possible and share my journey with them so they can hopefully avoid making the same mistakes I made and do it right the first time.

Can you share the most interesting story that you shared in your book?

Since my nonfiction book is still a work in progress, I don’t want to give away too much. But I’m including several “case studies” which are real-life, recent examples of my most successful clients. I’ll share my favorite one, though. Every Wednesday night, I go live on Tik Tok at 9 pm EST, and it gets so packed in there and the questions are flying in, one right after the other. I try to answer each one, but I do miss a few or maybe they are vaguely worded so I can’t answer them. But earlier this year, I noticed this one follower, @kotakailovett, kept showing up every week with not only great questions, but he was clearly supportive of me and what I am trying to accomplish through my platform. Kota eventually reached out for help directly, became a coaching client, and even stayed on and allowed me to edit his amazing manuscript. In the span of a few months, he was able to finish his book, which he’d spent 7 years writing, build a supportive and enthusiastic following on social media (all his doing), and when I helped him launch his first book, a beautifully diverse fantasy novel, RoGoria: Voyage of Tears, he landed on the Amazon bestseller list before the end of launch week and is still going strong. But the coolest part is that Kota and I remain great friends to this day. Not only that, but he’s also been on my staff as one of my team leaders ever since. Kota’s results are not atypical. Every client just from this year alone has gotten further than ever with their books. And for the most part, I stay in touch with clients I worked with over a decade ago. But having him on my team now and helping me help authors is what I consider pretty darn cool.

What is the main empowering lesson you want your readers to take away after finishing your book?

Again, with my nonfiction book, it’s currently a work in progress. But that’s exactly it. I want to empower people who want to become authors! For decade upon decade, traditional publishing has controlled the dialogue and basically monopolized the publishing industry. The problem there (beyond nepotism and oligarchy) is that the number of aspiring authors whose dreams were pulverized to the point they gave up on their dreams is unquantifiable. But most authors who’ve even tried once to enter “trad pub” can testify to the fact that this small, exclusive group of a few hundred literary agents, act as the gatekeepers to publishing and the be-all, end-all authority on what constitutes a “good enough” book. And if Agent X deems an author unqualified or a book unworthy of entry into their realm, they’ll at best ignore the author. At worst, they’ll send a scathingly critical summary of all the reasons they have decided NOT to grant them “permission” to become a published author. It’s not only nonsense, the “status quo” has likely put an early end to the dreams and aspirations of thousands upon thousands of talented authors. Thankfully, in the past 5 or so years, self-publishing has significantly increased in popularity, giving more people another option for publishing and an avenue to pursue their dreams. And my entire purpose when I speak at conferences, or appear on podcasts, is to empower people to stop waiting for someone in a three-piece suit, who sits behind his highly polished desk, and who likely never wrote a book in his life to give them “permission” to follow their dreams. Stop letting these corporate big wigs and self-ordained gatekeepers tell you that you aren’t a good enough writer or that your book isn’t “marketable.” I want every aspiring author to know that it’s fine if you want to pursue traditional publishing, but that is definitely not your only option, and if you are ignored and/or rejected when trying to get into publishing, remember two things. One, self-published authors now make money each year than traditionally published authors (one source: https://blog.reedsy.com/how-much-do-authors-make/) And two, if you learn everything you need to learn about properly writing a novel first, write a unique and well-developed story, and treat your writing career like you would any other business venture, you cannot fail. How successful you become is entirely up to you and how much you’re willing to invest in your writing career (time, energy, money), but no one should have absolute power over anyone else’s dreams.

Based on your experience, what are the “5 Things You Need to Know to Become a Great Author”? Please share a story or example for each.

This is a perfect question because there are, in my opinion, exactly 5 crucial things all authors must do to be successful in their writing careers, and I’m happy to share them.

1. Read. Read as many bestselling books as you can in the genre in which you want to write. Pay attention to the way the author writes their sentences, the balance between narrative and dialogue, how your protagonist’s journey should unfold, and so on. But don’t just read like you do when reading for leisure. Instead, underline, highlight, use sticky notes. You should see my copy of Wally Lamb’s I Know This Much is True. It was the first book I ever fell in love with, so I studied Lamb’s craft, the way he structured his story, how unbelievably compelling his characters were to me. All of it. That’s the best way to first get familiar with novels and how they should be written.
2. Study. This is the one step almost all new authors skip when writing their first book. And it’s why so many struggle from the get-go. You must learn the craft you want to master, otherwise, you’re just playing at the craft. And here are the first steps you should take: read the best how-to books on writing fiction, listen to podcasts, watch YouTube videos, read blogs written by experienced pros, and give serious thought to hiring someone like me, an experienced author coach, and let them share their wealth of knowledge and take advantage of what they have to offer you.
3. Practice. You can’t go from being someone who has never written a novel before to suddenly writing a successful novel in the blink of an eye. I have yet to meet a single author who achieved their goals by racing toward the finish line. There’s just too much to learn, and you must practice, as you would in any other artform. I always tell my clients that we learn with each book we write, at least, if we’re serious at mastering it. If you wanted to be a painter, would your very first piece of art look anything like a Monet piece? Unless you truly are a prodigy, that’s just never going to happen. So, what do you do? You paint a daisy, over and over again until you feel comfortable with that. Then, you try painting a bouquet of flowers until, finally, you can paint a beautiful bouquet without even thinking. Only after tons and tons of practice, painting the same things over and over again would you try to paint a field of flowers. So, I always tell aspiring authors to start first by writing flash fiction, short stories, essays, and such. Get familiar with what it’s like to sit down and tell a story through your keyboard. Then move on to a full-length novel. Practice really does make perfect.
4. Develop. Skipping this step causes so many issues and badly written books, but you won’t know it until it’s too late. You’ve written the book. You’re proud of your accomplishment. Then, you send it to beta readers or even, God forbid, publish it. It’s only then you realize there are tons of plot holes, your timeline is confusing, your setting is nonexistent, and/or your characters are flat as the Mojave Desert. Then, all you’ve done is waste weeks, months, or even years writing a book no one will read, let alone recommend to their friends. And all that time, heartbreak, and humiliation can be avoided if you simply take a few days before you begin writing to develop each aspect of your novel. In the Book Boss Method, I teach my coaching clients to develop their story and do some basic level planning before they can start writing. And love teaching these steps to my clients! I can tell you firsthand, since I started creating a general, chapter by chapter outline before I began writing, I haven’t experienced writers’ block or even been stuck since then. Not once. And that’s why I created resources to help other authors accomplish these super important pre-writing steps, and though I used to only share them with my clients, anyone can grab them now from our Etsy shop.
5. Boss Up. You must become your own Book Boss. And the reason I use hashtags like #bookboss and #ImABookBoss on everything I post is that to be successful as an author, especially as a self-published author, you must first learn the business of being an author, just as you would with any other business you might start. If you want to have a career as an author, quit your hum-drum day job, and write books for a living, you absolutely must take the time to learn the basics of being an “authorpreneur.” Learn how to build a compelling, relatable brand around you, the author (not your book). Learn the ins and outs of each publishing option, including print-on-demand, short-run printing, and each path you can take, and choose the best one for you. Learn how to design and implement an effective marketing strategy, which you’ll need before, during, and after your launch. Being a successful career author is exactly the same as being an entrepreneur in any other industry, and you must approach it the exact same way.

All of these pointers I have shared are things I teach, in-depth, in my author coaching program. And I anyone who needs the help, I’m here for them. That’s why I always offer free consultations and/or free sample edits (as any professional service provider should) to anyone who wants to learn how to write better books, brand themselves effectively, and prepare for a successful launch. And I always make sure that, even if we don’t wind up working together, every author I talk to winds up with at least one tip or trick they can start using immediately to take one step further on their writing journey. And

What is the one habit you believe contributed the most to you becoming a great writer? (i.e. perseverance, discipline, play, craft study). Can you share a story or example?

That’s a tricky one. I believe it’s slightly different for each writer. For some, it may be craft study, while for others, it may be luck or perseverance or discipline. For me personally, I believe it came down to the fact that I was born with a gift for words. I was horrible at math, numbers, and science. So, I’m not in any way saying I was a great student. Since I was born into a family of creative right-brainers (from photographers to artists to writers to newspaper editors), I was blessed with that one talent. And it served me well. But it was more than that. In my opinion, becoming a great writer requires a “recipe” of factors that includes ingredients like natural talent, stick-to-itiveness, discipline, craft study, and even luck. But each author’s recipe has different proportions of each ingredient. When all ingredients are combined, each author’s final product will “taste” somewhat different from the rest…as well it should. But in the end, I believe almost everyone can be an author if they want to be one. They just have to take honest stock of what they already have in their pantry, determine what and how much they need to add, and make sure they really mix everything together using the right portions. Risking hyperbole with this whole “recipe” metaphor, we all have some of the ingredients needed to become an author. We just need to be mindful of what each of us already have in our pantry and what we specifically need to add to the mix for the best possible results. And what you pull out of the oven and present to the world will depend heavily on the effort you put into your final product, as well as your own special, secret seasoning no one can duplicate.

Which literature do you draw inspiration from? Why?

Oh, so many different books and authors inspire me. As I mentioned earlier, Wally Lamb was the first author to truly inspire me. Man, I wish that guy would write more books! I know he’s working on something new, but love his heart…he takes longer than George RR Martin! But seriously, he is the first author whose books I just fell in love with — his characters, the way he turns a phrase, the settings he paints so vividly. He just made me push to write even half as well as he does. But I must say, on the nonfiction front, Stephen King’s On Writing is an absolute must-read for all authors. I love this book because not only does his fiction writing inspire me and authors everywhere, On Writing is half autobiography and half how-to book. I cannot emphasize enough that all aspiring authors should absolutely read this book. But I still find inspiration in other contemporary authors, namely Greg Iles and Dennis Lehane — my top two favorite authors. I’ve had the privilege of meeting a few bestselling writers through my podcast (Write Your Best Book), but it would tick one item off my author bucket list to meet one (or both) of these fellas, have coffee with them, and hear about their personal writing journey right from the source. I think every author has a role model. I just happen to have a few.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

My absolute dream is to one day have the honor of giving a TedTalk. And it has nothing at all to do with vanity or exposure for exposure’s sake. When I decided to walk away from a secure (albeit demanding) corporate career I was really good at and take a leap of faith to start my own business just so I could help other authors see their dreams come true, I promised myself I would do everything in my power to reach as many people as possible and help them write a book they could be proud of, avoid the same mistakes I made, and achieve their own level of success as authors. It’s the reason for every choice I make in my business, behind every service I offer one-on-one to clients, and every resource I create and make available online. But it never feels like enough. That’s why I spend so much of my time creating and developing new resources, products, and helpful resources for authors every single day. It’s the reason I donate a good chunk of my time every week to giving out free advice on social media, my newsletter, blog, my weekly live events, and even just answering questions that come through DM’s and email. Do I want to be successful and comfortable in my personal life, as well? Sure. Absolutely. Who doesn’t? I’m halfway to 50 (almost), so I have to look forward not just to retirement one day but to both of my daughters’ upcoming weddings, grandbabies, and whatever else the future holds. But for now, it’s my mission to change the narrative when it comes to self-publishing, disrupt the status quo, educate and empower authors, and play even the smallest role in the revolution currently stirring quietly beneath traditional publishing as we’ve known it for decades. And that is why I do what I do, and it’s why I love opportunities like this and will continue to share my story and speak as loudly as I can. And maybe…just maybe I’ll get an opportunity to speak to the most authors I can in one event on something like a TedTalk.

How can our readers follow you on social media?

I’m on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Tik Tok as @writeyourbestbook. And you can find me on YouTube by searching Write Your Best Book. I always follow back, especially authors, and anyone who wants to DM me should absolutely feel comfortable doing so. As long as it’s not spammy, I respond within 24 hours. But I highly encourage authors to find and follow me on Tik Tok, where I have built a great big community of amazing writers and each Wednesday night, I go LIVE at 9 pm EST. I’d love to see your readers there.

Thank you so much for this. This was very inspiring!

Thank you for this amazing opportunity! It was inspiring for me, too.