Self Publish or Perish: the New Age of Book Writing
Self Publish or Perish: the New Age of Book Writing
In this new age of the Internet, information is everywhere and people are hungry to find it. If they have a question about ANYTHING in life, they are apt to jump online, go to a search engine and trust whatever they find. So how do you compete among trillions of pages of Internet content? The answer is simple: you write a book (or hire a ghostwriter to do it for you!).
In doing so, write a book with the intention of publishing it with a commercial publisher. This attitude will elevate your standards and create a high platform on which to perch. Quality is king. This book will speak for you forever; it will either speak poorly for you, or it will dynamically change lives. That being said, don’t let the traditional publishing industry push you around and force you to wait. People are relying on your information. If you invest in writing an exceptional book, you deserve to reap the rewards more quickly than traditional publishing allows (their process is as long as a year or more to get your book into bookstores), so partner your desire to create something outstanding with your ability to self publish and get your book out there into the hands of the people who need it most!
In life and in business, there are few things that bring the respect, the admiration, the financial reward, and the emotional gratification that writing a book does. The media will refer to you as an expert, your customers will look at you with newfound respect, and, most importantly, you’ll look at yourself differently, with so much more confidence and a crystallized understanding of what you offer your customers!
Remember when I said the answer was simple? Well, it was, but implementing it will require a bit more work. You need to take your expertise and create a unique, even remarkable delivery system for it. You and/or your ghostwriter are going to write a book but not just any book; it will be YOUR book! This is an endeavor that should take no less than six months to write, writing at least an hour a day, every day. It could possibly take as long as a year or more (and that doesn’t mean three months on and six months off!) to write a great book. Writing an exceptional manuscript worthy of worldwide distribution is a creative process that requires tremendous focus and the dedication of a brilliant team of people: ghostwriter, focus group participants, professional analysts, structure professionals, proofreaders, formatters, and more!
Now what is most important? Starting to write a book today, because time is of the essence! Consider this: in a world of instant gratification, the publishing industry has not yet caught up to our need for speed. Commercial publishers still take 9 to 18 months to get a book from manuscript to the bookstores, which comes after contract negotiations (two to three months) and finding the right agent and publisher (probably six months to a year). Who has this kind of patience anymore?
This is where self publishing comes in! Mind you, my recommendation is to still go through the process of creating something truly remarkable, investing your time and your money to write a book or hire a ghostwriter to write a book worthy of commercial publication, but do NOT let the slow speed of commercial publishing deter you from getting your message out quicker. Self Publish! Hire your ghostwriter to write a book and then while you are submitting to agents and publishers, self publish it through one of the many vanity presses available.
In addition to your time, this alternative will require investing a bit of capital, probably around ,000 to ,500 for 2,000 copies of your book, including the price to format it, acquire your ISBN number and get it listed on Amazon. But realize this: when you write a book and then you self publish, you make so much more of the money. When you sell those 2,000 books, your income can be anywhere from ,000 to ,000, versus a much smaller royalty from a traditional publisher.
So write a book worthy of commercial publishing, and then self publish to test the content, and build up a stockpile of cash that you can use to market and publicize the book when it hits the bookstores. Heck, if you can sell 30,000 units on your own, a commercial publisher will pick you up based on that alone!
You must be strategic in this day and age to survive! Think about what you are doing today and what you’ll need tomorrow. Today you need to start writing (or find your ghostwriter), so you can self publish tomorrow, and commercially publish down the road. Without the writing, there is neither the self publishing opportunity nor the commercial publishing chance. So start your writing, or hire your ghostwriter immediately (check out my article: 10 Questions You Must Ask Before You Hire a Ghostwriter)!
10 Book Writing Mistakes That Stop Your Dream In Its Tracks
10 Book Writing Mistakes That Stop Your Dream In Its Tracks
Did you start writing your book and quit? Yes, I know you’re not a quitter. Like many of us, you may be making some simple mistakes that block your book’s progress and success. Correct the following mistakes; complete your book and prosper:
Mistake 1 Failure to start small
Inexperienced book writers aim too high. Don’t try to fit everything you know or researched into a one big book. Plan too big and you may end up with a monster book that turns your potential readers off. Remember many people in the new millennium are busy and impatient. They look for short, quick easy reads.
Solution: Plan a short book first. If you have loads of interesting information, consider breaking your book into parts. Even a series of books is better than one large volume in the non-fiction genre.
Mistake 2 Failure to educate oneself about book writing
Many novice book writers fail to educate themselves about book writing. If you’ve never traveled this road before, enroll in a book writing course. If you have little time, sign up for an email course to jumpstart your writing. Invest in your book project by hiring a professional editor to edit your work.
Solution: Invest time to learn about book writing. A client of mine said, “I want to invest in my work but I have no budget to start with.” No worries; more book writers than you know have started with a low to no-string budget. Enroll in free book writing courses. Invest time in learning to self-edit your work until you can afford to hire a professional.
Mistake 3 Failure to target your audience
If you fail to pinpoint who you are writing for, your chapters will lack focus. Your copy will fail to connect with readers. If you do manage to hook your readers, most won’t make it to the end of your book. Beginning writers who make this mistake bore their readers with flat, lack luster writing.
Solution: Target your book audience. Create a profile of your reader. Write down their complaints, their needs and/or problems that your book solves. Write your book to that person. You will have tight focused copy that compels your reader to keep reading to the end.
Mistake 4: Failure to develop a sizzling title and back cover first
Most newbie book writers stall at this one. They don’t realize a hot title helps the author stay motivated. Writing the back cover first helps crystallize your book’s message. With a clear message in front, you can write compelling copy that draws your readers to keep reading.
Solution: Develop a hot title and back cover first to write tight focused copy that sells. A hot title includes the top benefit of the book. It is usually short, clear and/or tells a story.
Mistake 5Failure to keep writing in the midst of everyday life
Many writers believe you have to get away from everything to write a successful book. No you don’t. I know several novelist and non-fiction book writers who had to write during a long commute to get their best book written and out to the world. They accomplished it because they systematically worked on their book until it was done.
Solution: Avoid marathon writing. In the midst of your busy life, designate your time to write (work on your book) with a goal to completion.
You may not be making all of these mistakes. Yet one or two will stop your book dream in its tracks. Your audience is waiting. Implement the above solutions, get your book written, release it to the world and prosper.
Becoming a better writer not only requires writing on a daily basis, but it also is done by reading a vast amount of books, articles, newspapers and stories. Read more, write more and edit personal works to become a better writer with information from a writing and communications specialist in this free video on writing. Expert: Brenda Martin Contact: www.brenmarcommunications.com Bio: Brenda Darnley Martin has a true appreciation for the art of communication, considering words – written, spoken and unspoken – to be the music of her life. Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz
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Book Writing Tips to Speed Write Your Book for Maximum Sales Sooner
Book Writing Tips to Speed Write Your Book for Maximum Sales Sooner
Where are you in writing your book? Whether you are almost finished after 2 years or just beginning, these book writing tips may help you. You owe it to yourself and your important message to finish fast and sell sooner.
For years, my book manuscript would end up in the drawer with the rest of my unfinished projects. No more; now I finish my book writing projects strong and fast.
I learned from my mentors who showed me the way. I even learned from my competitors who finished their books fast to sell sooner.
Here’s some book writing tips to help you speed write your book for maximum sales sooner:
1. Place book writing goals in your top 3 priorities. Setup a regular writing schedule. Think about your priorities right now. Can you fit 7-10 hours a week in? If you have to let something go that is not high on your priority list, do it. Now is your time. Later is not better.
2. Put your reader first. When writing your book, you should be writing to your reader. Use the word “you” and avoid as much as possible using the words “I” and “We”. An author friend chooses a friend interested in her topic and writes all her books to them.
3. Write an intention goal for your book. Do you have a plan in place? Write on purpose. Don’t set yourself up for failure by not planning. Even if it’s a simple intention goal like “I complete my book (title of book) this year by (date and year.) I educate myself and do what it takes to complete it.” Set one and write it down so you can hit the target.
4. Break your writing into short sections. It’s easier on you to write. Furthermore, it’s easier on your reader to read. Try to break long paragraphs into shorter, more digestible chunks. Make it easy to read and you’ll reach more readers.
5. Use short sentences and simple words. Writing and reading a long sentence takes longer than a short one. Cut lengthy sentences in half to make your writing easier to read. Aim your copy so a 6-7th grader could understand it. Remember using complex words won’t impress your readers. Most times it will annoy them to the point of not finishing your book.
6. Be concise but specific. Compelling copy is concise. Unnecessary words waste your time and most of all your reader’s time. It dilutes your message and makes your book longer than necessary. Additionally, be specific. When writing your book, stick to the specific information about your topic. The more relevant facts you include, the better. If you don’t bother to dig for specifics about your topic, your book may end up vague filled with meaningless words.
7. Write your book the easy way to finish fast. Three of the top ways to speed write your book includes: Act Now. Action will paralyze fear each and every time. Avoid marathon writing. Know you don’t have to become a hermit to write and complete a successful book. Commit to the tracking approach. Doing a set amount,even if it’s only 30 minutes to an hour, each day builds a cumulative effect.
8. Use laser focus. Apply laser focus to complete your book writing project faster. For example, if you look at a 40 watt bulb, the light is soft. Yet you can take the same 40 watts; put it in a laser gun and the same 40 watts become a focused beam of light that can cut through different objects like a sharp knife through paper. To use laser focus in your book project, prioritize, do only one project at a time and complete one project before you start another.
If you don’t use these book writing tips to finish fast, you may be this time next year working on the same book project. Remember to put your book writing in the top 3 priorities of your life, write an intention goal, put your reader first, break your writing into short sections, use short sentences and simple words, be concise but specific, learn to write the easy way and use laser focus. Using the above simple book writing tips you can easily write and complete your book fast. See you at the finish line. Finish fast; finish strong and sell sooner.
Paul Howard, writer of Ross O Carroll-Kelly Between Foxrock and a Hard Place (Olympia Theatre, Dublin Oct 15-Nov 14, 2010) discusses the difference between writing a book and writing a play.
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Leave a comment7 Book Writing Secrets to Finish Faster and Sell Sooner
7 Book Writing Secrets to Finish Faster and Sell Sooner
Are ready to finish your book writing stronger to sell sooner? No worries. With a little extra knowledge, you can still complete writing your book this year. Implement the following secrets; complete your book and prosper:
Secret 1 Create a sense of urgency
Many less determined writers get discouraged and quit because their book journey is not as easy and fast as they thought. May I gently say, “Get over it.” Most worthwhile endeavors take perseverance and hard work. Here’s a different perspective; the attention, direction and intent it takes to overcome most obstacles can be developed into new strengths and skills.
Get your book finished now; for now is better than later. Remember you become a successful author the minute you start moving toward your worthwhile book goal. I don’t know anyone that regrets they wrote a book. But I know plenty of people that regret they didn’t do it sooner.
Secret 2 Keep going after life interrupts.
It is a common challenge for book writers to find their place after being interrupted by family, work and daily life. After all that’s why many think you must get away to get it done effectively.
Yet, there’s hope for those who can’t get away or choose not to. Successful writers all over the world use the tracking approach. They succeed because they commit to doing a little each day.
Set yourself up for success; use the book tracking approach. The most popular method to use for tracking is time. Time is the method where you commit to a writing a certain amount of time each day.
With the cumulative factor involved your commitment doesn’t have to be that much. For example, to accomplish my book writing goals I commit to writing one hour a day in a.m. (my most productive time.) With this method don’t be overly concerned about how much you write, just keep the time commitment.
Secret 3 Find your writing rhythm.
You don’t have to write each chapter one after the other. If you get stuck on chapter two, you could be stuck a very long time. This type of thinking comes from grade school where we are ritually taught to do everything in order.
If you have been thinking that way stop right now, no need to raise your hand. You have my permission to work on whatever chapter moves you or you feel passion bubbling for at the moment. Feeling stuck on a chapter, try another. There you have it now go with the flow.
Don’t become chained to writing in order. Jump around and fill in the blanks. Review your chapters and whatever subject or topic you most drawn to, begin there.
Secret 4 Push past writer’s block.
I am stuck. I have to stop writing until I feel it again. Unseasoned writers may play the martyr, give up and try again another day. We would never get it done like that. When you get stuck simply close that chapter, pull out your chapter outline and choose another chapter. Choose a topic from that chapter and begin there.
Keep going; stay on course. Maintain your writing commitments. Go around writer’s block by working on another chapter. For example, while writing this book in one of my writing sessions, I wanted to finish my fourth chapter on titles but I ran into a writer’s block. Instead of breaking my momentum, I came down to chapter eight about easy writing and began there. I was able to complete my time commitment of one hour and keep my momentum.
Secret 5 Turn off editor mindset when writing.
Many newbie and seasoned writers are perfectionist. When writing, they feel the urge to stop and change something every few paragraphs. Or they finish a page and want to perfect it before continuing.
Turn off your editor voice while writing your first draft. Your goal should be to get the message on paper. Avoid re-writing during your first draft. After your message is written completely out, then you can turn the editor’s voice back up. It’s true successful authors rewrite and organize their ideas for the strongest impact.
But in the beginning stages of writing your book, concentrate on finishing each chapter. Use later writing sessions to self-edit. When it’s time to edit, check your ideas for flow, grammar, spelling, and chapter endings. Work on your chapter titles and lead in introductions.
Secret 6 Treat your book as a business.
It was one thing to write your family’s history book. You had no plans of marketing it to the world. It’s another thing to write a book about a topic in your field. Your expectations are different and quite higher. You can expect your book about a topic in your field to brand your business, make you a sought after expert and draw hundreds of new clients.
Set your book up to succeed with a book marketing plan. Your book marketing plan is what I describe as your map. It describes your book, what you will do after the book is completed and published. It also describes who you hope to sell your book to a target audience. In short you can say your book marketing plan is your roadmap to success and profits.
Secret 7 Ask for help.
Many writers are natural loners. So it’s no surprise when they fall into thinking, “I have to do it all myself.” Do your research and reading time apart from your writing sessions. You may be able to ask your spouse, a teen-aged son or daughter, a friend to help with your research. Know when to let go of your chapters and book. Don’t self-edit and pick your book apart word by word.
Learn to use your skills at the highest level possible. Some of the mechanical tasks of proofreading ask a family member, part-time employee or again a friend to help. After you have done the best job you can with your manuscript, don’t be afraid to pass it to a professional. Learn to delegate faster and faster.
Don’t put it off any longer. You owe it to yourself and those who love you to finish stronger and sell sooner. Your audience is waiting. Implement the above secrets, get your book finished, release it to the world and prosper.
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7 Book Writing Mistakes that Short Circuit the Completion of Your Book
7 Book Writing Mistakes that Short Circuit the Completion of Your Book
Did your book writing come to a halt somewhere along the way? No worries. Like many of us, you may be making some simple mistakes that block your book’s progress and completion. Correct the following mistakes; complete your book and prosper:
Mistake 1: Failure to plan your book realistically.
Inexperienced book writers aim too high. Don’t try to fit everything you know or researched into a one big book. Plan too big and you may end up with a monster book that turns your potential readers off. Remember many people in the new millennium are busy and impatient. They look for short, quick easy reads.
Solution: Plan a short book first. If you have loads of interesting information, consider breaking your book into parts. Even a series of books is better than one large volume in the non-fiction genre.
Mistake 2: Failure to write your book’s vision.
Newbie book writers lose focus and determination because their vision is not clear. When it’s not written down distractions easily creep into pull you away your goal of a completed book. You may quickly forget why you are even writing a book.
Solution: Write your book’s vision statement. Write it down and make it plain. Write when you’ll complete it. Name specific outcomes you get after completing your book. For instance, envision yourself watching your bank balance grow from book sales. Write, “I see myself with increased income and more clients.” Anyway you get the idea; create your vision statement including see, hear and feel.
Mistake 3: Failure to envision what your completed book will do for you.
This mistake is similar to writing your book’s vision but different because it focuses on the rewards. Many novice book writers fail to dream about the rewards of a completed book. Is your goal to become an expert and gain visibility in your field? Do you want to launch a new career or go to the next level in your current career?
Solution: Fuel the flame of your book dream again. This time dream a bigger dream. Dream after writing your book, you receive life long income that grows each month. You become a highly visible expert in your field.
You gain added respect of your colleagues and peers because of your book. You receive increased income leveraged from higher fees charged. Your clients gladly pay them with book author as one of your titles.
Mistake 3: Failure to conquer procrastination.
The way to conquer procrastination is to act. No, you don’t have to sell your soul anymore to write a saleable book. Use the cumulative effect of doing a little bit at a time. Even so, unless you want it to take years to write, you must schedule a considerable writing time each week. For example, you could write 2 pages a day and have a short book in weeks. Or you could write 10-15 hours a week to complete your book.
Solution: Do it now! Now is better than later. Remember you become a successful author the minute you start moving toward your worthwhile book goal. I don’t know anyone that regrets they wrote a book. But I know plenty of people that regret they didn’t do it sooner.
Mistake 4: Failure to count your book as significant.
Tons of book writers stall at this one. They don’t realize the significance of their work. Too easily they think who cares anyway. Why should I add one more book to the 100s of thousands of book already in the world?
Solution: Realize your message is significant and deserves your attention, love and time. Consider what your readers need and want. If your book shares something unique, encouraging, useful, entertaining, it is important enough to be written.
Think about your gift? God gave you your gift to share with others. Our gift back to God is what we do with it. The loving care you put into your gift (book) the more rewards await you.
Mistake 5 Failure to keep writing in the midst of everyday life.
Many writers believe you have to get away from everything to write a successful book. No you don’t. I know several novelist and non-fiction book writers who had to write during a long commute to get their best book written and out to the world. They accomplished it because they systematically worked on their book until it was done.
Solution: Avoid marathon writing. In the midst of your busy life, designate your time to write (work on your book) with a goal to completion.
Mistake 6 Failure to keep going after life interrupts.
It is a common challenge to find your place after being interrupted by family, work and daily life. After all that’s why many think you must get away to get it done effectively. Yet, there’s hope for those who can’t get away or choose not to. Successful writers all over the world use the tracking approach. They succeed because they commit to doing a little each day.
Solution: Set yourself up for success; use the tracking approach. The most popular method to use for tracking is time. Time is the method where you commit to a writing a certain amount of time each day. With the cumulative factor involved your commitment doesn’t have to be that much.
For example, to accomplish my book writing goals I commit to writing one hour a day in a.m. (my most productive time.) With this method don’t be overly concerned about how much you write, just keep the time commitment.
Mistake 7 Failure to find writing rhythm.
You don’t have to write each chapter one after the other. If you get stuck on chapter two, you could be stuck a very long time. This type of thinking comes from grade school where we are ritually taught to do everything in order.
If you have been thinking that way stop right now, no need to raise your hand. You have my permission to work on whatever chapter moves you or you feel passion bubbling for at the moment. Feeling stuck on a chapter, try another. There you have it now go with the flow.
Solution: Don’t become chained to writing in order. Jump around and fill in the blanks. Review your chapters and whatever subject or topic you most drawn to, begin there.
You may not be making all of these mistakes. Yet one or two will stop the successful completion of your book. Your audience is waiting. Implement the above solutions, get your book finished, release it to the world and prosper.
Book Writing Tips for the Weekend Warrior
Book Writing Tips for the Weekend Warrior
Are you only able to work on your book dream on the weekend or in small blocks of time? No worries; you are a weekend warrior in book writing. Welcome to the Weekend Warrior Book Writing Club! No, you don’t have to pay dues to join. You need only be a person struggling to fit book writing into a small block of time.
First think about all the benefits you are missing by not fulfilling your book dream. Let’s put a time table to that thought. What would happen if you didn’t get your short book written in the next 90 days? You’d miss having a book to make your business stand out in the crowd. Your business would definitely take longer to build to a whopper success.
You wouldn’t have the competitive edge you’d have as an expert with a book. You’d miss out on the adventures and opportunities waiting for you on the other side of getting your book done. And worst of all, you’d miss the extra profits you could make by charging up to 400% more on your fees as author.
Now that you are properly motivated to cash in on all that you are missing by not getting your book done. Here are 5 simple strategies to get your book written using your weekends or any small blocks of time.
1. Write your book making it easy on yourself. Remove the pressure to complete a big book. Instead choose to write a short book. Divide your monster book into 2 books. Use shorter sentences and paragraphs. Your copy is more compelling when you are succinct and to the point. Write shorter chapters; shorten your stories and examples. Make your book an easy read. If you have a fairly complex topic, spread out your stats and tables. Section your details and develop your book into several parts.
2. Write your book as a top priority. Commit to a writing schedule. Think about your priorities right now. Can you arrange to write at least 7-10 hours a week? If you have to let something go that is not high on your priority list, do it. Now is your time to succeed in writing your book. Later is not better. Set yourself up for success. Write a book this year by making your book goal a top priority.
3. Write your book with an intention statement. Do you have a plan in place? Write on purpose. Don’t set yourself up to fail by not planning. Even if it’s a simple intention goal like “I complete my book (title of book) this year by (date and year.) I educate myself and do what it takes to complete it.” Set one and write it down so you can hit the mark.
4. Write your book the easy way to finish fast. Five of the top ways to speed write your book includes: 1.Act Now. Action will paralyze fear each and every time. 2. Avoid marathon writing. Know you don’t have to become a hermit to write and complete a successful book. 3. Commit to the tracking approach. Doing a set amount even if it’s only 30 minutes to an hour- each day builds a cumulative effect. 4. Know you don’t have to write chapters in order. You can jump around and fill in the blanks to gain momentum. 5. Maintain your momentum. Don’t give in to writers block. Move on to work on the chapter you feel passion bubbling for at that moment.
5. Write your book using laser focus. Apply laser focus to complete your book writing project faster. For example, if you look at a 40 watt bulb, the light is soft. It’s not even strong enough to light an average room sufficiently. Yet you can take the same 40 watts; put it in a laser gun and get a totally different output.
In the laser gun, the same 40 watts become a focused beam of light that can cut through different objects like a sharp knife through paper. Same amount of energy but different focus. To use laser focus in your book project, prioritize, do only one project at a time and complete one project before you start another.
If you don’t use these techniques to finish fast using the time you have, you may be this time next year working on the same book project. Remember to make it easier on yourself, make your book dream a top priority in your life, write an intention goal, learn to write the easy way and use laser focus. Using the above simple tips you can easily write and complete your book. Even if it’s only on the weekend, finish fast; finish strong and sell sooner.
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