Susan Friedmann [00:00:00]:
Welcome to Book Marketing Mentors, the weekly podcast where you learn proven strategies, tools, ideas, and tips from the masters. Every week, I introduce you to a marketing master who will share their expertise to help you market and sell more books.Â
Today, my special guest is Danielle Hutchinson. Danielle is the chief creative officer at Authors on Mission. She helps entrepreneurs turn ideas into best-selling books through ghostwriting, editing, and content creation. Previously an English teacher, she built a thriving freelance business before joining Authors on Mission. She's ghostwritten more than 50 books and worked with over 1,100 authors. She connects with people worldwide, constantly learning and sharing insights on publishing, storytelling, and business leadership.
Susan Friedmann [00:00:57]:
Danielle, it's an absolute pleasure to welcome you to the show, and thank you for being this week's guest expert and mentor.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:01:05]:
Susan, thank you so much for having me on. It's honestly an honor to be a part of your show and to be able to offer my insights to all of your listeners today. I'm looking forward to talking about what I know, and hopefully everyone listening today can take home a little nugget of inspiration and apply it to their own writing process. I'm excited to get started.
Susan Friedmann [00:01:25]:
Fabulous. Well, as you and I were talking before we went on the air, we're talking about ghostwriting is one of the things that you really excel at. I know that often authors don't really know and understand what that means. Let's start off with understanding the process better. So over to you.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:01:47]:
A lot of the times when people think about ghostwriting, they think that they don't have a lot of control over the whole process. They think that perhaps somebody is going to be taking their ideas and writing on their behalf, and they're worried about many things. They're worried about whether their voice is going to come across authentically, be presented with the same level of care and importance that you put into it yourself. I mean, when you're working with an a ghostwriter who truly understands your mission and your vision, it's a whole different ballpark. That's one reason why at authors on mission, we call ourselves angel writers because we're not just, you know, ghostwriting it for you. We're bringing it to life. We're almost like your angels. And in that way, when you're going into ghostwriting, especially with us, you're able to customize it however you would like, whatever best fits your needs.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:02:36]:
For example, some of my clients, they come to me, and they don't even know the direction they want their book to take. They say, I wanna write a book about the development of AI in the modern world. And then I say to them, okay. Well, let's sit and chat. Let's talk about some of your ideas. And then from there, we work together step by step on video calls, like, very interactive process where we create an outline, have weekly meetings, really work together on it. Then, of course, there's also people who they already have entirely went through in their book, chapter by chapter. And for me, my role is mainly just smoothing out their words, almost an editing role, but also a coach on their side.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:03:17]:
And then you have people who are in every definition between both of those. Right? You're able to customize the process to meet your needs. For the most part, it starts with the initial meeting, really just getting to know your client, getting to know your angel writer, understanding their vision, their mission, and from there, building upon it. And one thing that I think really makes authors on mission stand out and what I do stand out is that we talk to our clients. We understand not only what they're looking for, but their tone, their mannerisms, like, their different phrases they like to say a lot. Like, for example, I record my video calls and listen to the transcriptions and really use that to get their authentic voice. And I think in that way, it really helps to make sure that your voice gets across. In general terms, that's sort of how we start the angel writing process and get a good idea of it all.
Susan Friedmann [00:04:08]:
I love that. I love the fact and this is a question actually that I was going to ask you is capturing their voice because I think that's one thing that authors sort of feel that they're going to be giving up, and that it's going to be your book as opposed to their book, and there's a reluctance there. So talk to us more about getting a feel for their voice and that it's really their book as opposed to your book with their name on it.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:04:38]:
Yeah. Exactly. I mean, with Author's Our Mission and with myself, the book is 100% yours from the moment we write it. You know, it's all under your name, and you can have a say in any part of the process, be it from the initial idea, to the structure, to the layout, to any sentence in the paragraph. I've sat there with clients together on a Zoom call, and we've gone sentence by sentence, really rewarding it however they like. So, you know, in terms of capturing the authentic voice, like I mentioned, the first step is for me to get a good idea of how they talk, their mannerisms, what's important to them, because, you know, they might talk more about certain topics and others being that they have more passion for certain topics. And once I get a good idea for that, I make their first draft. And the second part of capturing their voice is that editing phase where you're really going into it.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:05:26]:
And if a client doesn't like the way something's phrased or they think we need more explanation on a certain topic, That's how we kind of have, like, a second layer of really making sure that it's capturing everything there. In that way, there's, you know, those two steps. And then beyond that, I mean, after you have the book written by your angel writer, you're going to a whole another phase as well. You have the editing phase where editors look at it and make sure that there's no other mistakes there, but you still have full say in that. Right? If you want something fixed, you don't, the final word is yours. Same with the graphic design. A lot of publishing companies have a full say about what the book cover looks like. For example, I've talked to so many authors who will hold up their book and show me the image on their cover, and I compliment them and they say, oh, I didn't have any say in this.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:06:14]:
The publisher just designed the cover. And I think of myself, I'm like, okay. Well, I mean, it's your book. You should definitely have a say in what it looks like. What we do is we allow actual artists to bid on your book design cover, and you get to select what you like, you know, your full site. So in all these regards, every step of the process, it's your book. We work with you. It's just completely different from what the traditional publishers would be working with.
Susan Friedmann [00:06:41]:
I like that because one of the things that when I talk to authors, I say that they have to be a 10% in love with their cover because that is the packaging. And if they're not happy with that and they feel embarrassed by that, they're not going to want to sell it. Or it's going to affect sales because they don't feel good about saying, hey, look at this book, when they're, like, embarrassed with the cover. They don't like it. I say, like everything about it, the font you're not happy with, if you're not happy with the graphic, if there's just anything that's just even the slightest thing is do the change before it goes to press.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:07:25]:
Yeah. Of course. I mean, you don't wanna put anything out there, especially when it's going to the press or gonna be printed or put on the shelves. You wanna make sure every aspect is perfect. And I mean, that's why I always make sure and double check with my clients. Like, do you like this part? Do you wanna change anything here? Like, let's really do one last look through before we're finalizing. I have one client right now who's been reading his final copy for a couple weeks now, just making sure he loves it before he finally put it into Perennial. He's really putting the time into it.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:07:53]:
And I agree with you, Susan. It's so important because you wouldn't wanna go back and have to change anything after it's already been published. All amazing concepts right there to keep in mind.
Susan Friedmann [00:08:03]:
Yes. Because I know people who have books, and I say, well, how are you doing with it? Well, I don't like it. I don't feel good about it, so I'm not putting it out there. Which seems like, why did you put the effort into it if that's the case? I know that one of the areas you guys specialize in, and by the way, I love the idea of author, the angel writers rather. I thought that I love that term. You work a lot with business books. What separates a good business book from a great one? How do you make a good one great?
Danielle Hutchinson [00:08:41]:
Yeah. That's a really good question because I have a lot of clients who come to me, and they have an idea for their business book because they're hoping to either, one, promote their business or, two, offer their strategies for successful business tips, for example. And a lot of the times, I might get a manuscript where it's pure storytelling or it's pure just advice. But I guess what you need is a mixture of both. You a great business book balances actionable insights with engaging storytelling. So you can't just make a list of strategies. You need to take those complex concepts, make them accessible and relatable, but you also can't just fill the whole book with fluff and stories. You need a good balance between both because, one, you need to engage a reader.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:09:27]:
By telling stories about your life, your experiences, you get them hooked, and they're finding out that what you went through is exactly what they're going through right now. They're seeing their own pain points and their own struggles reflected in your writing. But then from there, you need to take that and give them something to do with it. Right? Like, okay. You have my problem. You see where I'm at. How are you gonna help me? So you need to offer them those actionable insights and back that up too with proof. What statistics do you have that prove what you're offering is valid? Right? And what can you do to show them that if they follow your advice, that they're going to benefit from it? So I think it's a combination of the action and the storytelling, engaging the reader and telling them where to go from there.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:10:15]:
I think it's a balance of both of those.
Susan Friedmann [00:10:17]:
Very much so because at the end of the day, the reader is, what's in it for me? They want to know, why should I buy this book? What am I going to get out of it? Is it going to help me with a challenge? Overcome something, you know, a problem, concern? How's it going to help me? As you said, that balance between giving sometimes the so called dry information, if it's got that story, and especially as you said, the personal stories, and that people can say, wow, that happened to me, or I'm going through that same thing. And that relatability, I think, is so, so important. I love how you focus on that. AI is it just hit the market, and we're like, wow. And all of a sudden, people are like, oh, I can write a book in a weekend and just put it up on Amazon, and that's it. Talk to us about AI and how it's affecting the publishing industry.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:11:19]:
Yeah. Well, and this actually branches directly off of your previous question because if you want to write a successful business book, the best approach is probably not to plug it into chat GBT and have it write it out for you. You need to make sure that what you're putting out there has a human touch because as advanced as AI is getting I talk to authors about this all the time. It's easier than ever to write a book. I mean, the doors are wide open for us, but it's also led to just a stampede of almost garbage content out there now because by nature, AI is based off of content that already exists. It learns from existing books, existing concepts. So when you're asking it to write your own book, by definition, it's pulling content from other books out there. And so just in that way, by having your AI write for you, it's gonna be repetitive of other stuff out there.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:12:15]:
It's gonna be generic. It's gonna be bland. It's gonna sound robotic. And, I mean, don't even get me started about the amount of people who comes to me with manuscripts, and they say, can you humanize this for me? And that is something I specialize in. I mean, you know, when I'm editing and especially with my freelance work, I'm able to take somebody's AI generated manuscript and really bring it to life. And some of the things I have to work on when I do that, though, is one, weeding out that repetitive content, that bland content because AI loves to say the same phrases. Like, let's delve into this next chapter. This is an amazing tapestry of information we're gonna share with you.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:12:53]:
Like, just phrases like that, things that it just pulls from existing materials. It's all things to consider when editing it out. Just, you know, circling back to your question now, Susan, is that AI has impacted the publishing industry just in so many ways where, yes, it's easier than ever to write your book. And, yes, there are ways around it, for example, hiring somebody to help you humanize. But at the end of the day, the answer is that it can't be replaced by human creativity. The key is using it as a tool while maintaining the authentic human voice and and experiences in writing because computers just are never gonna be able to do that by themselves.
Susan Friedmann [00:13:32]:
Yes. And even, as you say, that their voice, that it's their voice and it's not the AI voice or the chat voice or Claude's voice or whomever's voice, it's just not yours, that is so critical. I mean, I use it a lot, but then I take all what AI might have churned out for me on an idea and really go through it. And it's like, I've gotta humanize it because it sounds robotic, which you don't want. You want it to have that impact that it's your voice. I love the idea that you do take that, that people bring you manuscripts and for you to humanise it. I love that. I didn't know that people were doing that.
Susan Friedmann [00:14:17]:
Now I do.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:14:18]:
Yeah. Well, this goes back to the point you made in the beginning of our conversation about how angel writers are able to take your authentic voice and put it into a manuscript because, you know, if you're you're trying to use AI as your ghostwriter, then they're not gonna have that voice. Like you said, it's all about that voice. But, yeah, I mean, there's so many people out there who come to me nowadays. It's actually becoming a little bit of a a niche project because but the amount of people who have AI generated manuscripts these days, they wanna add that human touch to it. More and more people are coming to me with that, and I've almost developed a a whole process, like, step by step of how I'm able to do that by taking their content and expanding it. Similar to how you were describing. Right, Susan? Just taking it and adding your own human touch to it.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:15:01]:
So it's a whole another level of ghostwriting, actually. It's almost like I'm working with the human client and the robot client at the same time, kind of balancing both of their voices within it.
Susan Friedmann [00:15:13]:
So I like that little niche that you found yourself, which is perfect because I love niches that anytime you can take something rather than say, hey, AI has taken over, and we won't have any business. But you found a way of saying, hey, we can use both.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:15:29]:
Yeah. I mean, it's the only way you're gonna stay ahead in today's day and age, especially in the writing world, because you've gotta embrace these kind of changes, these really incredible tools. You just have to learn how to use it the right way and for the right purposes. And you're not gonna fool anybody by handing an AI generated manuscript to them. But if you're using it as a tool for research, for idea generation, and then building off of that, that's how you can leverage it to your advantage.
Susan Friedmann [00:15:57]:
Yes. And it's brilliant for that. Mhmm. It's brilliant because somehow it thinks of things that it might have taken you weeks, months maybe, to come up with some of the ideas that it just churns out in seconds. I'm constantly saying to my husband, oh my goodness. I can't believe what it can do. And I'm probably just touching the tip of the iceberg too.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:16:20]:
Oh, yeah. That iceberg goes for miles and miles. But, yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, time is money. And if you're a busy entrepreneur, you're trying to write your own book, especially about your business, promoting your business, you can't simply spend that much time writing it all by yourself. So AI can be a great tool for helping you save that time. Same way that an Android can help you save that time by tell them what you want. They'll help you write it out, streamline that process because the downtime you might be spending writing is time that you could also be spending engaging in other business activities. So, just a whole another branching off topic from that.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:16:58]:
But
Susan Friedmann [00:16:58]:
Yes. And, I mean, it's changed the whole publishing landscape as well. Talk to us also again about how it's changing the landscape we're in now in the publishing industry.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:17:12]:
Because of the rise of AI, in addition to just advancements in the way that things are done, There's been a big difference between traditional publishing and self publishing, for example. I mean, you mentioned before that anybody could write a book these days, and it's easier than ever to just get it on to Amazon. That's all, you know, self publishing. And it's great because when you're doing it yourself, you have full sight in it. Right? And you're able to do at your own pace. You're not waiting on anybody else to approve of your ideas or to get it out there. Anybody right now can open up their computer, write a book, throw it on to Amazon. That's sort of how things are changing because, you know, you have an influx of books out there that people are just throwing out into the world.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:17:54]:
However, you know, then it also comes with that word of caution because by doing it yourself and by just kind of willy nilly writing your book, putting it up there, then you're not always getting the expert advice and and an assistance that you might need. For example, by working with an angel writer, you're self publishing perhaps, but you're also making sure the content is up to standards, making sure that it's going to be that but binge business book that succeeds like we talked about before, helping you say things clearly, concisely, not offering any insights that aren't actionable. For example, authors on mission, we're a little bit in the middle ground. Like, we do self publishing, but we help you with the process in a way that we're similar to traditional publisher because we have that credibility and that, the way to help you promote it, it's also entirely your say too. So I guess this kind of to answer your question, to circle back to it, is that self publishing is changing the industry because it's on the rise these days, in my opinion.
Susan Friedmann [00:18:58]:
Yeah. And I mean, I think it's making traditional publishers nervous because they're much pickier about what they take on. And I know that one of the things that they're very keen on is that you have a solid marketing platform, for instance, so that you're gonna be able to sell a book. Because in the past, as you know, authors have often relied on the publisher to do the marketing for them. Even though I've said to people, I said, no. They're not gonna do that for you. Oh, yes. They are.
Susan Friedmann [00:19:31]:
They said they would. Nope.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:19:34]:
Oh, Susan, you have no idea how many people I talk to who have explained that same thing to me. They'll publish their book and then nothing because the publishers kind of expect you to promote your own brand. There's pros and cons to that. Right? I mean, again, you have your own say in it, in your own way of doing things. However, I mean, you're right. If it's left up to you to do your own branding and marketing, then that's kind of like the life of your book in your own hands. It's always good to have somebody to offer you those tips. And, Susan, I think that's amazing that you are able to do that for us.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:20:08]:
You know, you're offering all these tips to helping authors market their own books. Office of Information also offers marketing services too. It's something you really need to have. You just can't do it all on your own. You might need some support in doing so in many
Susan Friedmann [00:20:21]:
different ways. And especially for business books, which I know that you specialize in that, as I mentioned earlier, and one of the things that I'm very keen on and our listeners know because they hear me very often talk about the niche marketing and the importance of that, and looking at who really is the right person or the right reader for your book. Even though you might think your book is for everyone, you can't market to everyone. So you've got to find the people who really connect with what you have to offer, and the value that you can bring to someone with a particular challenge or concern in their line of work. And I feel more and more, and the more authors I talk to, the more it's like, let's go down a niche, because that's where you can be a big fish in a small pond.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:21:19]:
Oh, I agree entirely. In addition to the, aspects that I mentioned before that make a great business book, you want it to be actionable. You wanna have storytelling. But most important, another whole aspect is targeting it to the specific readers. It's funny. I just wrote a blog post not too long ago, and in it, I wrote I believe the line was, you can't write a book for everyone. You need to write it for someone. Right? You need to figure out who actually is going to benefit from your content and how exactly are you going to do that.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:21:50]:
And, Susan, I'm sure you offer so many specific insights on how to do it. Some ways that I recommend personally is just by, like, kind of going out there and seeing what books already exist in your industry, what types of readers are reading it, what's their feedback to it, what's marketable these days, what's not, what do people wanna hear about. And from there, you kinda see, okay. This is my target audience. And then from there is how you start to develop the ideas to really attract those readers. And that's one thing I do as an editor and angel writer as well as looking at the book and saying, okay. What does this client want to say in their book? Who are the readers who want to hear what they have to say? And are we doing everything we can to make sure they pick it up and continue reading? So it's it's all big parts to play. I agree.
Susan Friedmann [00:22:36]:
Yeah. And that differentiation too, How does your book differ from somebody else's book? You know, I mean, there are a ton of books on leadership, on sales, productivity. It's like, okay, what makes your book special that's going to stand out from the others in the same genre. And I think that's really key. And that's why that niche marketing can really, as I say, turn you into a recognized expert rather than try and compete with everybody else in the marketplace.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:23:10]:
Yeah. I know. I I agree completely. You need to just make yourself stand apart. It all goes back to marketing like you mentioned before, finding a brand for yourself, finding that niche that you really shine in. It's things you need to think about when you're going into writing because we all have a passion. We all wanna write about something. And you can still write about that topic you love, but, you know, I tell my clients, sometimes you may need to change it a little bit just to make sure it's targeted exactly to the people who want to read it.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:23:39]:
All things to consider. Am I agree?
Susan Friedmann [00:23:40]:
Absolutely. This is a good segue, Danielle, for you to tell our listeners more about your services and how they can get in touch with you.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:23:51]:
Yeah, definitely. At Authors on Mission, we are a done-for-you service. So if whatever stage of the writing process you might be at, whether it be you just have an idea or maybe you have a manuscript that needs some polishing. Maybe you have a book that you think is completely 100% ready to go, and you just need somebody to help you publish it and get it out there. Maybe you already have a book published, and it's just not getting the traction you need. We offer all these things from ghostwriting to editing to marketing to building a platform. So what you can do today if you're feeling inspired and wanna get your ideas out there is head to Authors on Mission and you can schedule a free consultation with our team. And we have an amazing lead strategist who will sit with you and talk about exactly what you're looking for.
And we have packages that you can build, almost like a buffet table, picking out what you need, and we're able to help you in any regard. And we have a whole team of people who specialize in what they do for whatever that need is. Yeah. I mean, just head to officeautomation.com and check it out, and hopefully, we can find exactly what you need and help you get to where you wanna be.
Susan Friedmann [00:24:58]:
I love that. I'll put the website link in the show notes. You never know where people are listening and whether they're able to write things down. We put everything in the show notes. And Danielle, as you know, we always have our guests leave our listeners with a golden nugget. What's yours?
Danielle Hutchinson [00:25:19]:
I would have to say that golden nugget is to never stop. Right? That everybody comes to a point in their lives where they're looking around and they think, hey. Things are pretty good right now. You know? I built a business. I'm thriving. I'm happy. And that's when sometimes you need to think about where you wanna be next. You could sit on the couch and watch the next, season of Bridgerton, or you might be able to say, okay.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:25:46]:
Let me take another step, see how I can expand myself. For example, I started out as a teacher. I still am teaching, actually, while balancing my freelance work and my work as chief creative officer. I love to fill up my schedule of things that I'm passionate about. So what that did for me, though, is taught me something invaluable. It showed me how important it is to never stop learning. You don't stay in one spot, you keep advancing yourself. And because of that, I'm making four times the amount I did before.
Danielle Hutchinson [00:26:12]:
I still approach every project with that same dedication and passion. But it's not about just changing careers, but taking skills that you have and finding new ways to apply them. I went from helping students find their voice to helping authors all over the world find their voice, and I couldn't be happier than I am now now that I'm able to not only write books for people, but talk to them about their books, edit their books, and see them really grow into the world. It's like writing a book is like raising a child. Again, just I love what I do, and my advice to you is not to stop, continue to grow. Find another area where you can advance yourself and your status and your role because you never know the wise way to change and the things you'll be able to do.
Susan Friedmann [00:26:57]:
So true. I would say, if you're not ripening, you're rotting. So it's all about ongoing learning and just staying above where you were. Just keep going. There's no reason to stop. Even if you retire, my husband always says it's like, just put another set of tires on. You're retiring. So
Danielle Hutchinson [00:27:18]:
Oh. I love that. I love that. Yeah. And wherever you are in life, whether you're a writer or any any other professional, your current skills are just stepping stones. You know, they're not limitations. You just have to ask yourself not what am I now, but what else could I become? Think about where you wanna be, how you see yourself, and keep making things happen. That's all.
Susan Friedmann [00:27:41]:
And that's often when people say, oh, maybe I'll write a book and be able to share, you know, my wisdom, which is a great time to do that. I thank you for sharing your wisdom. There were some real incredible nuggets that you shared throughout, so I appreciate you.Â
By the way, listeners, if your book isn't selling the way you wanted or expected to, let's you and I jump on a quick call together to brainstorm ways to ramp up those sales because you've invested a whole lot of time, money, and energy, and it's time you got the return that you were hoping for. So go to BookMarketingBrainstorm.com to schedule your free call. And in the meantime, I hope this powerful interview sparks some ideas you can use to sell more books. Until next week, here's wishing you much book and author marketing success.
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