10 Things that Keep You from Writing Your Book. and What You
Can do About It
by Patsi Krakoff and Denise Wakeman
Published on this site: June 22nd, 2005 - See
more articles from this month...
9 out of 10 professionals and small business owners have at least
one book or information product inside their head, but lack the
time and organizational skills to get it out into digital or print
form.
You may cringe when you read this list of ten things keeping
you from writing your book, because it rings too close to
home for you. You may have already written a book or an e-book,
or have come close to starting it. It's hard, we know it,
and we've been there too. But go ahead and read this list,
see if you can identify, and let's discuss a possible solution
to the book writing problem.
- I can't seem to find the time.
- Every time I sit down to write I go blank.
- I need an uninterrupted time period to immerse myself.
- I need clarity on my message, but there's no one to consult
with.
- I don't know where to start or how to organize all the chapters.
- I'm afraid of losing clients and having my business suffer if
I take time away from it to write my book.
- I agonize over the writing, the grammar, the sentence structure
and punctuation.
- I know what I have to say, just can't put it into written form
without losing clarity and impact.
- I keep thinking about all the time involved in writing the book,
and wonder if it will ever bring me the results I want.
- Once I get it written, I have no idea how to get it formatted,
let alone marketed.
Ok, you know why you haven't started writing your book. Do you
know why you need to write a book?
Why You Need to Publish a Book
Here are a few reasons why writing and publishing a book is important
to you as an independent professional, small business owner, or
solo-preneur:
- Having a book, whether in digital, soft-cover, or hard-cover
establishes you as an expert in your field.
- People buy from people they know and trust; reading your book
is one step in creating client confidence and relationship.
- Once people buy and read your book, they will want more of what
you have to offer in the way of services and knowledge. Your book
can attract readers into your sphere of potential clients; once
they have bought your book, they are ready to buy other services
from you.
- Having a published book is a great marketing tool, and people
will actually pay for your expertise.
- Books are one of the major sources of passive income for professionals;
once it is published it can continue to generate sales for you,
over the years and while you sleep.
- If you don't get a book out soon, your competitors will have
the edge, because many of them already have one and even two books
out.
- If you are a speaker, they make great bonus gifts and back-of-the-room
sales.
- They provide a platform for you to expose your readers to your
mind and your heart, showing not only what you know, but how much
you care. You can reveal your deepest philosophies through your
writing, as well as your personal stories.
Three Solutions to the Book-Writing Problem
Of course, there is no problem if you've got a lot of money. You
just hire a book writer. There are many of them listed at Elance.com.
Some professionals do this, especially when they need to get something
published fast and there are not a lot of complex issues to put
forth. But is this really what you want to do as a professional
who has an important message to convey?
Here is a list of solutions:
- Hire someone to write your book for you (you can always rewrite
it in your own voice and add your own stories). When finished,
hire a publisher and then a publicist to market it.
- Hire a writing coach who will walk you through the steps, chapter
by chapter (again, for a substantial fee). Then when finished,
hire a publisher and a publicist.
- Bite the bullet, put your business on hold for a few months,
and devote your time to just getting it written. You will have
to turn it over to a book designer and get it formatted; search
for the right publisher such as self-publishing or print-on-demand
services, and then market it yourself.
Expensive? Yes, all three solutions are expensive. They each have
their advantages and disadvantages.
The Fourth Solution
There is another solution! What if there was a way to help you
get your book down in print and ready for formatting in 90 days?
What if you could do this by following a system that organized
you chapter by chapter, included testimonials, input from peers,
professional editing resources, design and formatting resources
at low costs, and only took a half-hour of time per day?
Could you afford to invest that much time and energy out of your
busy day? Would it be worth it to you even if it meant an hour a
day for 90 days?
If you already have a blog that you use to communicate with readers
online, you can use your blog to write your book.
The blog format is perfect for organizing your ideas, chapters
and getting feedback from readers.
If you don't have a blog yet, you may wish to create one. They
are simple to set up and use (we recommend Typepad.com).
It can be used to stay in touch with clients and to write
your thoughts in an informal way. A blog is like having a
conversation with people interested in your subject or expertise.
Once your book is finished and formatted, you can then use
your blog to market it. You already have a built in audience,
hungry for your content.
To read more about how this system works and how you can benefit,
go to this site: http://www.blogtobook.com
- the way you think about writing your book will shift and you'll
see it in a whole new light!
Denise Wakeman of Next Level Partnership, and Patsi Krakoff
of Customized Newsletter Services, have teamed up to create blogging
and marketing services for independent professionals. Their latest
program is the Blog to Book Project: How to Use a Blog to Create
a Book in 90 Days or Less at http://www.blogtobook.com.
You can read and subscribe to their blogs at http://www.buildabetterblog.com
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