Do these 5 things before you start writing your book

All this month, I’ve been discussing different aspects of how to write and publish your own book. In April, I’m going to help up to 50 people become published authors in 2020. I’ll be giving them all the ins and outs of how to get published – step by step. If you want to be one of those 50 – fill out this simple form.

I know you have a book inside of you. And I know you’ve been thinking about it for some time now. But you may not know the steps to writing a book and getting it published. In fact, you may not know the first thing about how to publish a book. But you DO KNOW that you have a story to tell.

Which of these scenarios best describes you?

Scene A: You wake up refreshed to start your day and can’t wait to sit down to write another chapter (or four!) of your latest book. You adore the writing process and can easily enter your “zone” where time just stands still and your fingers speed across the keyboard.

Scene B: You wake up refreshed to start your day but you do everything else on your to-do list first instead of writing a chapter of the book that you know you should have written a long time ago. Procrastination is your friend and the “reasons” you give yourself for not writing are simply excuses.

Writing a book is certainly a great way to boost your credibility, increase your name recognition, and make some extra cash too. But it’s also a mirror we can use to deeply examine our greatest fears and work habits. If writing a book were easy, everyone would be a published author.

Acknowledging and understanding these fears and habits can greatly improve the writing process which, in turn, will make life much easier when you decide to write your next book.

Are you a procrastinator or a “get-it-done” person? Are you an early morning person or night owl? Can you work with music or podcasts playing in the background or do you need total silence? Every writer has a different method of working and you might just discover something new about yourself during this process. Maybe you prefer nature sounds or white noise as opposed to music with lyrics. Or maybe you can focus better in a coffee house setting instead of in complete silence. No matter what your preferences, use those to your advantage to be more productive.

Do you dread that blank page staring back at you? Do you fear hearing negative feedback or reviews? Do you fear hiring an editor only to get your manuscript back terribly marked up or changed considerably? Remember that once upon a time even big name authors had to start with a blank page and editors who changed their words. Start your manuscript with a chapter outline and remember that an editor’s job is to make your book the very best it can be.

There’s no right or wrong method here, but knowing if you can work in the zone for hours on end or if you get easily distracted and need to take breaks makes planning your day much easier. If you need to take breaks, I recommend you learn to incorporate The Pomodoro Method into your day. It’s a simple method, but you’ll be amazed at how focused you’ll be during those writing sessions.

What if you don’t make sales or the response from your audience isn’t as glowing as you had hoped? This is a valid fear, especially if you’re depending on your book to increase your income, but you’ll be prepared to conquer this fear by doing market research prior to writing the first page. Is your book topic something your market needs and wants? Can you offer a different spin on this topic that others may have already written about? Whether you feel a passion for writing or you’re certain this will be your only book, you’ll always benefit by doing research.

No one is perfect, nor can you be an expert in everything, so if anything about the writing process or the marketing activities scares you, embrace that fear and either conquer it or hire an expert to help you through it. Under this type of spotlight, you may be surprised at what makes your knees shake and what you can handle like a champ. Just don’t let these insecurities sideline your book.

As you can see, writing a book is a wonderful self-discovery tool in addition to a business-builder. Take these discoveries and work with them during this process; you’ll only improve your business and your work habits going forward.

Remember, if you want to be one of those 50 people I help, – fill out this simple form. Becoming a published author opens MULTIPLE DOORS. Now is your time!