Hi loves, welcome to our second and final class where we’ll focus on seven (7) key steps to writing a book. If you were absent from class last week, you can find your homework here *wink*. In my previous post, I spoke about the general ins and outs of writing a book. In this week’s final masterclass, I’ll walk you through the writing journey.
Overview
Let’s first quickly run through the three modules we discussed last week. They were:
- Do you really want to write a book? – Here, we weighed the reasons to (or not to) write a book. Long story short, if you’re doing it for the money, don’t. Writing a book has been referred to as a labor of love by many for a reason. You have to truly want it and when you’re done, there’s no guarantee it will take off in the way you hoped. It’s a sad but necessary reality check.
- What to expect when writing a book – In this module we elaborated about what I mentioned above. Writing is hard, time consuming and reflects heavily on you as an individual. Critiques are inevitable, you’ve got to have the added strength to withstand it.
- How to start writing a book – In our final module, I gave you a sneak peak at the overarching steps you’ll likely undertake when authoring a book. We also briefly spoke about the pros and cons of self-publishing versus using a publishing house.
Ok great! We’re all refreshed. Now let’s work through those key steps to writing a book, shall we? Awesome! (Sometimes a girl’s gotta be her own cheer squad.)
Step One: What is your message?
I’d like to hope that if you’re truly serious about writing a book, you would have already given this some thought. If not, take a paper and jot down the topics that gave you the urge to write a book. Then think what it will offer your readers. Ask yourself questions like:
- Who is my audience?
- What do I want them to know or learn?
- What is it that I want them to feel or experience during and after reading my book?
Step Two: Create an Outline
We’ve got to know where we wanna go before we can get there. It is absolutely critical that you create an outline for your book. Here’s where you think about, then note, the chapters, titles, or sections needed to make your pages thoroughly come alive.
Pay special attention when outlining your book’s message. You must have a clear idea about how you’ll take your readers through the book in a way that will convey your message AND capture their attention.
One trick is to get a big poster board, and post it notes. Outline the chapters/titles/lessons/etc on post it notes and organize it on the poster board along the top. Then jot all major ideas that feed into that chapter/title/lesson and place those under the main titles. As you shift your ideas around you can move the post it’s around too and eliminate, combine, add, etc in a fluid way.
Step Three: Write it!
Just write. Some writers aim for a daily amount (like 250 words). Some, like me, go away for a weekend and write their heart out. Some write when they feel it and stop when they don’t. Find your jam and write.
But wait a tick, what if you find that you have all the concepts but lack the patience or will to put it all down on paper? Here is where it can cost a ton more to produce; you can get a ghost writer. That means hiring someone else to write it professionally for you. This method is very expensive. There are also layers to the process.
You can tell someone your story or idea and they’ll write the whole thing (VERY expensive) or you can write most of it and have them expand on it (how I did it – tolerably expensive). Or you can go for it and write it all yourself (totally free but works best if your writing skills are good to excellent). There are many amazing humans with the talent and creativity to write in a compelling, moving, and educational way. You may just fall in that category! Just know that whatever option you choose, be honest with yourself about your skills, availability to invest the time to write and if you possess the necessary capabilities before diving in.
Step Four: Edit it!
You need to read your book and edit it. Not just for grammar and spelling, but for overall feel and content. You could even ask a trusted friend to take a look at your manuscript. Then you need to have it professionally edited; this is important. Your professional editor should edit your content for print and e-book publication. If you want to produce an audio version, you should also ask them to edit for that too. Let me personally add that I highly recommend adding an audio version to your book, its more inclusive and will open up your story or message to a wider audience.
We’re almost at the end! I told you writing a book is a labor of love.
Step Five: Hire Someone to do the Book’s Layout
Designing how the book should flow is essential. Oh, and word to the wise, print and ebook formats need two different looks! Pause here and quickly run over to Amazon and take a look at my husband’s publishing page. You can use his book, Serve Up, Coach Down, as a great visual example in the varying covers used for print, ebook and audio publications.
You definitely need to hire a professional to do it. You can hire someone from Upwork or other such platforms. I used 99Designs and loved their process. Whomever you hire just needs to have the requisite experience to get it done well.
Step Six: Design the Book’s Cover (But NOT in Canva)
Step away from Canva! Listen, the app is amazing but don’t use it to do your book’s cover. At least half of the books today are purchased simply based on how they look, not even the content or author are factored in (kinda like how we buy wine sometimes). The cover is mission critical. Also, don’t ask an obscure friend of a friend who sometimes does a “thing on the side” to create something. You want it done as professional as possible.
Like the layout, I personally use 99designs.com, but you can also find contractors via Upwork or other platforms. Again, don’t forget to get a package that includes designing for all three covers (print, ebook and audio).
Step Seven: Get it Out There!
Here is where you decide how you’ll print your book. Are you going the print on demand way? Or do you want to work with a printer? My husband and I have our own publishing company now, so we are able to work with a printer and have discounted printing due to the volume we print. However, going this route will require thousands of dollars upfront. If you are a first-time author, print on demand is a great way to go. You can also do a go between and use a self publish company that can help you along the way.
A Quick Word on eBooks
eBooks are still super popular. You can publish these versions of books yourself once you have the layout and cover created. You just need to following a few easy steps on online to get it published.
Listen to Me about those Audio Books
Audio books are HUGE right now. You definitely want your book available in audio format. You can record and edit it yourself or you can hire someone to edit it for you (you can even hire someone to record it, but that’s one more additional expense). You can learn all the details on how the files should be formatted via the web.
Let’s Wrap-up Class!
Whichever way you decide to go, before your final documents can be uploaded for publication, you have to get an ISBN and barcode for your book. Then when you have your first printed book, you need to send one to the Library of Congress.
That’s it, you are done. If you follow these steps, you’ll be a published author; what an thrilling moment and major accomplishment!
Now after learning all of that, tell me, do you still want to write a book? Reach out on Facebook or Instagram to share your thoughts.
