Words matter. Your words also matter, and that is why you should write a book. Since Biblical times, wisdom has been passed down to future generations through written word, art, and powerful stories that are told years later. While some authors are famous, many others contribute their own talent to enrich the circle around them, helping make our world a better place. Once you start your quest to become an author, you’ll realize that…
Writing a book sounds more challenging than it is.
Odds are, you wrote a ton in college and did a lot of research to back up your claims, sharing your opinion to support your position or the position of some dead person you had to write about. If you aggregated all of the 10 page reports you did, your thesis, etc. you’d have enough to write a book, assuming there was overlap in what you studied and what you wrote about.
Writing a book on your own terms and your own time is a wonderful experience.
When we think of the human existence, we spend a lot of time socializing, working as an employee, taking care of our families, and doing things for others.
Writing a book also forces you to carve out quiet time to connect with yourself, your thoughts, and your biggest goals.
“Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.” – Virginia Woolf
In 2020, I self-published my first business book Grow It Now! The Business Leader’s Handbook to Driving Revenue, Engagement, and New Opportunities. What made me do it?
I thought long and hard about the hours invested writing blogs like this, and realized if I did a little more work, I could become an author, sharing my leadership perspective and business philosophy with the world! I also listened to other speakers in my industry and learned that having a book helps to position you as an authority or expert in the field you write about. From a product development standpoint, books also provide passive income while you sleep, so they are a great additional product to add if you have a strong following and marketing plan in place. Most important, it gave me the opportunity to cement my business leadership philosophy for the world to see, because I truly believe business is the greatest platform for social change, and that the sooner we grow, we will see better outcomes.
Practical Steps to Launch Your Book
The following steps can help you go from dreamer to author, in however fast you write and get things done.
Step 1. Brainstorm what you want to write about and the purpose behind your desire for writing.
Step 2. Identify who your audience is and what value you will offer them. Know what the exchange is for them giving you their time to read your book and make it worthwhile.
Step 3. Create an outline of your chapters, sub-points, research needed, and images you’d like to insert.
Step 4. Calendar time each week to write. While I find this helpful, I do not live by this rule all the time because my creative thoughts can start late at night or early in the morning, prompting me to start writing or dictating. Dictation is another key tool to help you if you’re busy and on the go.
Step 5. Read your final product out loud from start to finish to catch errors and do the bulk of editing yourself.
Step 6. Send your final manuscript to a great editor. If you are using freelance sites, make sure you ask for samples to check and see if their proofreading and editing skills are better than what you can do for free.
Step 7. Decide what size you want for a paperback book. The minimum number to have a spine is around 100 pages. Having a spine is a must if you are taking your books on road shows or to events, so people can see the title as the line up to get your autograph. It’s better to go 5×8 to get more pages and a nicer spine than to publish a larger book with less pages and a small spine, for your typical business book or similar publication.
Step 8. Send your manuscript to someone who knows how to format it correctly for the mediums you plan to use, as each requires its own format and final file type; you will need formatting for Amazon paperback, Kindle, and pdf e-book version for download from your website. For online versions, ensure you have a clickable Table of Contents and that links work inside the body; for paperback, remove hyperlinks and add footnotes with your references.
Step 9. Find a great cover designer. You can use a site like Fiverr.com to find quality cover designers. Provide them with the details they request, let them know the size, and total page count. Be sure to include an author bio for the back of your book. And, don’t forget to ask for the cover to be formatted correctly for whatever site you will publish your book on, so your cover gets approved the first time.
Step 10. Create an account on Amazon KDP and follow the instructions to create your account. You will upload your cover image (this also includes your spine and back in one file) and your manuscript. From there, review everything in the preview section so you can determine if your book is ready to go to print or Kindle.
Final Step… Get ready to market your book because you are now an official author once you hit submit!
You can track your sales on Amazon’s author service page to see how you are trending, and you can see reviews left by people who’ve read your book.
If you’re interested in learning more about writing your first book and marketing strategies to position yourself for success, schedule a call with me today.
