3 Biggest Mistakes When Writing Books — An Interview With Author/Writing Consultant Léandre Larouche

Leandre Larouche is an author, speaker, and writing consultant based in Toronto, Canada. He is the author of Hétérochrome (2017) and three upcoming nonfiction books, Write a Book That Matters, Architecture of Grammar, and The End of Nonsense, all of which are scheduled to come out in 2021.

Though he grew up in French in Saguenay, Québec, Leandre has been writing in English for the better part of the last decade. He studied English literature and professional writing at Concordia University, where he also worked as a writing assistant and developed a unique writing methodology.

Léandre Larouche was a 2019-2020 Fulbright fellow at Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA. Upon coming back to Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, he founded Trivium Writing Inc., a consulting agency that helps thinkers get their wisdom out in a book through innovative writing frameworks.

Leandre Larouche, Author, Speaker, and Writing Consultant

Who is Léandre?

The first thing I should mention is that I’m Canadian. Not any type of Canadian, though—I’m French-Canadian. That’s actually an important detail because I dedicated my life to the English language, and it’s not the language I was raised in. In fact, my parents still speak very little English to this day. I grew up in La Baie, Quebec, and from early on, I wanted to move away. I moved around Canada, England, and the U.S., and I finally landed in Toronto, where I am now based. I’m a city person; I love large cities that have good nightlife as well as a good coffee and restaurant scene. I’m obsessed with brunch and coffee. My perfect day involves good food, good coffee, good books, and a walk with a nice view.

What is it that you do for your clients?

I help them polish their ideas and engineer their book to make these ideas shine. In other words, I find their gold, polish it, and package it nicely for them. The reality is that most people are unaware of where their true value lies. The image we have of ourselves is rarely the one other people have of us. It helps tremendously to work with someone who is creative and business savvy to create an unforgettable book.

What are the three biggest mistakes people make when writing books?

The first and most important mistake I see people make is that they’re not researching their angle well enough. The truth is, anyone can rehash a generic book and publish it on Amazon, but if you want a competitive advantage, your book needs to be fresh. You need to know how it fits in the book market. The second mistake I see people make is overcomplicating the process. At any point in time, there’s only one book you should be writing—not two, not three. This leads us to the third mistake, which is to confuse readers by talking about too many different things in one book. Simplicity always beats complexity.

Who should hire/work with you?

Growth-minded professionals and businesspeople who want to use a book to grow their business and brand or leave a legacy. I work with people who want to put out the best book they can in the shortest amount of time possible. My clients are altruistic go-getters; they want the best for themselves and for their clients. They have a lot of knowledge, insights, and ideas to offer; they want to do justice to their life’s work.

What are you passionate about and what do you write about in your free time?

I love everything related to business, politics, personal development, and philosophy. I’m a voracious reader, and I love to gain more knowledge. I’m obsessed with philosophy, especially with the questions of how we live the good life and how we create a just society. Because of that, I write about politics and personal development. One of my personal goals is to make people more aware of the relationship between the two and to teach them how to use these concepts productively.

What is your big goal? Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

My goal is to run the world’s biggest company dedicated to writing and to bring about a cultural shift. For too long we’ve treated writing as unimportant and we’ve taught in boring, impractical ways. It’s time to bring writing back to the spotlight and to make it sexy. Writing is one of the most powerful skills in the world, and we can all benefit from what writing does to us and to other people. I also want to build a non-profit organization that serves marginalized demographics and helps them by offering free writing resources.