Hi, my loves, I frequently get asked about my book, “Surrender”. I must confess, it’s not always about the content of my book, it more has to do with HOW TO WRITE A BOOK. Usually when I get asked this question, I follow up with, “Why do you want to write a book?”, depending on their answer, I have responses ready. So today, I want to go a different route with our blog, just call me Professor Shannon :-P, as I talk about how, when, and why to invest your time in writing a book. Quiet everyone! My class, Authoring 101, is officially in session!
Module One: Why Do You Really Want to Write a Book?
I’ve just mentioned I have different responses when someone asks about my experience authoring books. Here’s a summary:
- “I want to write a book to make money.” – Ok stop. Don’t do it. Yes, you can make money when you write a book, but not from the BOOK itself. I will expand on this later.
- “To share my life story.” That is a great why.
- “To share lessons, I have learned.” That is a great why.
- “To have more credibility in my field.” That is a great why.
Let me pause here to add a disclaimer. In no way am I discouraging you from going after your dreams. I just want to give you no bull$h!t answers that some writers may not want to readily admit. All of this is just my perspective. My husband and I have published seven books, both through self-publishing and traditional publishing houses. But we are just two authors. There are millions of authors who will undoubtedly have different perspectives.
Module Two: What to Expect When You Write a Book
There are two main things to be mindful about if you want to go through the writing to publish process.
- It’s a serious time commitment. An average writer will take about a year or two to come up with an initial draft. Some take longer (I took several years). A few writers are able to publish quicker. Again, this is in the minority, especially if you are striving for quality over quantity.
- It’s an emotional commitment. Writing a book… changes you. Whether you are writing a self-help book, a business book, or a book on engineering. There is a lot of YOU that is put into it. There are always thoughts on how it will be received as it’s a reflection on YOU.
Module Three: How to Start Writing a Book
For this area, I am going to use my perspective as a self-published author.
If you want to pitch it to a publisher you can find classes and templates online on how to create a book pitch; you can also work with an agent. If it’s an option to go directly through a publishing house, it takes out most of the following things I’ll get into later on. Do note, working with a publishing firm affords many benefits but a drawback can be that they have full control of most of the details in your book.
For now, I’ve given you a lot to ruminate about. Next week, we’ll talk about:
- The message you want to convey in your book
- Creating a book outline
- Undergoing the writing process
- Self-edits
- Hiring someone to do a book layout
- Creating/designing a cover
- Publishing channels available for self-published authors.
Until then, here’s your homework, drink lots of water, do yoga as often as your body allows, and meditate daily (and if you want to author a book consider what YOUR why is).
If you’ve got the time, sign-up here to learn more about our new FREE Mind Body Complete toolkit for yoga teachers and aspiring yoga teachers.
Class dismissed!
XOXO Prof Shannon
