So You Think You Want to Write a Book
So you think you want to write a book? That’s great! If you are passionate about writing, with digital publishing, now you can learn how to write and publish a book! I’ve written and self-published 14 books now, and its a blast! I love being a published author! In this article I am going to share the basic steps of how to write and publish a book in chronological order. You may think that the first step is the write the book, but it’s not.
The first step in is make a decision and an agreement with the very core of your being that you are going to write and publish a book. This can be a long journey, with a high learning curve. However, the most exciting thing going on now, is that we have digital publishing available to us, and that makes it possible for ordinary people to become published authors in 3-6 months…and that’s for a printed book on Amazon. If you going to write an e-book, that can be much faster. But this article will outline the basic steps of how to write and publish a book–a printed book.
Using Print on Demand to Publish a Book
Print on demand is the most significant development in the publishing industry except maybe for the printing press! What is print on demand? Simply put, it means that once you prepare your digital book file for printing, it is printed one book at a time–as ordered!
This means, that no inventory is required, and no expensive start-up costs are required to learn how to write and publish a book. With traditional publishing, a print run of at least 10,000 (depending on the type of book project) will be required to make the book cost-effective. And that required a sales and marketing commitment. With print on demand if you want to print a book about a niche subject, you wont’ need to sell 10,000 or more books for your book project to be financially viable. With print on demand the book is printed and shipped within days of the purchase and all the royalties go to the author, with a small piece going to the cost of printing. Print on demand makes it entirely affordable for determined ordinary people to learn how to write and publish a book.
Intent to Publish Agreement
When I coach clients who want to learn how to write and publish a book, the first thing I ask them to do is to sign the Intent to Publish Agreement. Writing and publishing a book is can be a long, intense, and time-consuming process. It requires your commitment. When a traditional publisher accepts a manuscript for publication, the first thing they do is create a contract. The Intent to Publish Agreement is a contract with yourself to self-publish your book. Feel free to download the Intent to Publish Agreement from our site, it is free.
How to Write a Book
We have written a few articles on how to write a book on this site (see article below); but step one in writing a book after you decide and make a committment to write, is to set aside a consistent time to write, once a day, once a week, or once a month. Make it doable and sustainable. Step two is to start by writing about what you know and love. Step 3 is to write without being concerned with anything but getting the essence of your story down on paper. Do not worry about spelling, grammar, punctuation–just write. Once you find a consistent time to write, start the practice of writing about what you know and what you love, and get your stories down on paper, the rest will take care of itself. Below are 5 keys ingredients in how to get started writing your book:
Tell the Story: Focus on telling your story. Everything is a story, sometimes there are stories within stories. Let it Flow: Just write. Write, Write, Write! When writing, do not worry about spelling, punctuation, neatness. Write Like You Speak: Be present when writing and envision a story from your day you want to share with yourself. Practice the Game: If you want to learn how to write and publish a book you simply need to practice writing first. Dump Perfectionism: In publishing, editors, copy editors, designers, and proof readers at the perfectionists. They clean up your work. Tell the story, teach the method, entertain your readers. Forget about being perfect.
Self-Publishing Parts of a Book
Once you have written your manuscript, the next step in learning how to write and publish a book, is to prepare the parts of the book. You’ll need the front matter which includes a preface, introduction, acknowledgments, dedication, title page, copyright page, as well as table of contents. The body of the book will contain your manuscript plus headers, illustrations or photos, dividers and graphic elements such as quotes, chapter headers, and text boxes. Much of these are optional.
I always recommend that a self-published author create an ad for their other products or services such as coaching or consulting, workshops or speaking. Additionally the back matter will include end notes, notes, About the Author, index, and various other options depending on your project. I have written an article on the parts of a book, and a book entitled the Publish Your Book Blueprint which will help you sort through all those details and options.
The Book Cover
One of the last key pieces of how to write and publish a book is the book cover. CreateSpace, one of the primary print on demand companies offers a free cover creator. If you are a bit artistic, you can create a nice cover using their software for free. Depending on your budget you may want to hire a cover designer. This can be expensive, so do your homework, but if you are prepared with the key elements of the book cover, the cost will go down. Since the majority of the books are purchased online now, the book cover is even more important.
Your book cover may in most cases be a smallish icon, so be sure you find a strong graphic image for the front cover. On the back cover you’ll need a short author bio,an author headshot photo and a synopsis of the book written in sales copy style. Amazon is the biggest online bookseller, and they offer a feature where you can actually read the back cover of the book, so the back cover is still very important. In this article I have outlined the very basic steps of how to write and publish a book. Be sure and see these other articles that go into these different steps in more detail. If you are passionate about writing, we have all the tools, tips, resources that you will need to get started. See these articles: Createspace create your own cover
Have a Dream to Publish a Book—
But Lack the Time or Know-How?
Look no further. This potent detailed DIY publishing guide grants you the time and know-how. Learn how to self-publish a book by doing it! Once you become a published author, friends, family, and peers see you in a whole new light! This unique system propels both aspiring and seasoned authors through digital publishing step-by-step. You won’t even need your completed manuscript to start!
Includes downloadable template
Free ISBN number & POD account
10 steps to print on demand publishing
Displays book parts in chronological order
Publish your book blueprint proof in a week
Those who have completed Ms. Nelson’s Courses are raving fans. See Videos Reviews & Author Library.
Hmmm … I am not quite ready—just send me the Free Self-Publishing Toolkit
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