In this episode of The Entrepreneur to Author Podcast, your host Scott MacMillan speaks with book coaches and developmental editors Marisa Solis and Elizabeth Dougherty, co-founders of Book Structure Pros and authors of The Complete Expert-to-Author Guide: Plan, Write, and Publish Your Non-Fiction Book. Drawing on 65+ years in publishing and work on over 600 nonfiction books, they explain why subject matter experts are an underused source of powerful prescriptive (advice-based) nonfiction, and why publishers care as much about an author’s platform as the quality of the manuscript. They emphasize that experts don’t need to be “writers” if they follow a clear process, and share how they themselves used the same 25-activity framework they teach to plan and write their own book.
Central to their philosophy is the idea that in nonfiction the reader—not the author—is the main character. Everything from topic choice to structure and anecdotes should serve the reader’s needs and problems. Before writing a single word, they advise experts to: understand their target reader and market, define the specific problem their book solves, develop a solid outline, and start building an author platform—framed as “community” to make it less daunting, especially for introverts. They also reframe the book as a business tool and calling card that drives speaking, consulting, and impact, rather than the primary source of revenue, and leave listeners with one actionable mindset shift: stop writing “about something” and start writing for someone.
Elizabeth Dougherty and Marisa Solis have been in publishing for a combined 65 years and have worked on more than 600 books. As coaches and editors, they're on a mission to help aspiring authors change the world one book at a time. They are the coauthors of The Complete Expert-to-Author Guide: Plan, Write, and Publish Your Nonfiction Book. Through their boutique editorial services company, Book Structure Pros, they guide subject-matter experts through authorship — offering book coaching, developmental editing, manuscript assessments, and book proposal development, along with customized workshops, webinars, and speaking events.
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