Book Writing Made Simpler

Book writing doesn’t have to be difficult.

Honestly!

It may not feel this way when you have a myriad of words going around your head, and you’re not sure which words to include and which to leave out.

It may not feel like this when you’re struggling to find time to write, and other important things are getting in your way.

But I believe that book writing can be simple or at least simpler.

Here’s how!

1. Know your starting point

You’ve probably heard me say this before, but it’s so important. When you start by knowing what you’re writing, who it’s for, what they’ll get from the book, and why you’re writing it, the writing part (and implementing all the other tips in this blog) will be so much easier.

One of our clients has been writing her book for almost a year. She has made good progress, but after our recent webinar, where we suggested that people revisit their who, what and why, she has had clarity about her book (and her business) that she’s never had before. So that’s why we suggest that you get clear on:

• Who your book is for.
• What you’re writing.
• Why you’re writing it.
• And my favourite question – what do you want to get known for?

2. Create a plan

One of the tips I shared on the first writing challenge webinar was to map out your content. When you create a structure for what you’re writing and know which bit fits into which chapter, it will help you to write your book much more easily.

You can dip in and out of sections to write in the pockets of times you have available. If you’re feeling stuck in one particular section, you can write in another. And when you plan, you can decide which bits of information should go in this book and which may go in another.

One of our clients recently joined us on a Make It Happen Day to map out her book. By the end, she realised that she had five books to write. This is great, because when she finds material, she can decide which book to put it in, and can park anything that’s not relevant to the first book.

3. Do your research

When writing a book, it’s good to do your research.

First, it’s useful to know what else has been written on your topic and find out more about your competitors. Although, if you start to read too widely, it may affect the uniqueness of your book and distract you from writing it!

Secondly, it’s useful to know what your readers want to hear from you (hence the importance of point 1). You can do this via a survey, interviews, focus group and just by asking people.

One client is currently interviewing her clients to find out what’s made the biggest difference since they started attending her training programme. Another carried out a survey via SurveyMonkey, and then went on to interview some of those who completed it, and they gave her permission to use these interviews in her book.

Both add a richness to your book and stories that you wouldn’t be able to include otherwise. And if nothing else, doing regular market research is essential to find out how you can help your prospective and current clients.

4. Ask others to contribute to your book

You may think that I’m cheating when I suggest you ask other people to contribute to your book, but think, not only can you bring in the expertise and stories of other people, it’ll cut down on the words that you actually need to write!

Of course, any contributions need to be relevant to your book. One client recently sought sponsorship for her book, which was win-win in my opinion. Other people get to showcase their expertise, she gets to support them, and they funded the publication.

In Book Marketing Made Simple, I asked clients to do case studies and asked other experts to provide their tips and knowledge, and we all promoted the book together – another advantage of having collaboration partners as it reached the Amazon number one spot.

5. Get to know your writing habits

However you plan your book, there’s no denying that you need to sit down and write it. Or do you?

One of the things we talked about on the first webinar in the writing challenge is how you write at your best. You may not work at your best when you’re sat at your computer typing your book. You may feel frustrated if your hands can’t keep up with the words that are flowing. Some clients get paper and a pen and write that way. Others speak their book and imagine that they were delivering training and then get it transcribed later or use a dictating app. You may find that you do your best work whilst out in nature or any environment other than your desk!

It’s also useful to work out when you write at your best. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Do you work in big chunks of time or small?

Knowing all of this will set you up for success.

6. Manage your critic

There’s a reason why I work so closely with Sheryl Andrews, author of Manage your Critic. So many people struggle with that little voice in their head which stops them from writing a book. Others are affected by other people’s voices who question their motives. And it’s this little critic that stops them from ever getting their book written and published.

• They procrastinate.
• They ask themselves whether they’re good enough.
• They feel blocked and unproductive.

None of these are great places to be. That’s why on the writing challenge, there’s a whole webinar devoted to this!

Once you feel unstuck and realise how amazing you are, you may be surprised what results you’ll  produce in your book writing.

7. Get help

The reason why we run the Book Writing Challenge in the summer, the writing retreats in Spain, and work one-to-one with clients, is to help them make writing their book simpler – and quicker.

It can feel like such a daunting task, but with my help focusing on structure, marketing, and planning, Sheryl’s help on confidence and clarity of what you do, and the rest of the team helping you to get your book edited and published, you don’t have to work out how to do everything yourself. And when you have accountability and support to help you to get your book done, it’s definitely going to be much simpler!

How can we help you to make your book writing simpler?

It’s not too late to sign up for the 10,000 Word Summer Book Challenge. All the webinars are recorded.

If you’d like to find out how we can help you to get your book written quickly and easily, then please get in touch to find out how.