Are you ready to finish your book? It doesn’t matter if you are almost finished after 2 years or just beginning, these book writing tips will help you finish in the next 48 days. You owe it to yourself and your important message to finish fast and go to market sooner.

For years, my book manuscript would end up in the drawer with the rest of my unfinished projects. No more; now I finish my book writing projects in 48 days or less.

I learned from my mentors who showed me the way. I even learned from my competitors who finished their books fast to sell sooner.

Here’s some book writing tips to help you speed write your book for maximum sales sooner:

1. Place book writing goals in your top 3 priorities. Setup a regular writing schedule. Think about your priorities right now. Can you fit 7-10 hours a week in? If you have to let something go that is not high on your priority list, do it. Now is your time. Later is not better.

2. Put your reader first. When writing your book, you should be writing to your reader. Use the word “you” and avoid as much as possible using the words “I” and “We”. An author friend chooses a friend interested in her topic and writes all her books to them.

3. Write an intention goal for your book. Do you have a plan in place? Write on purpose. Don’t set yourself up for failure by not planning. Even if it’s a simple intention goal like “I complete my book (title of book) this year by (date and year.) I educate myself and do what it takes to complete it.” Set one and write it down so you can hit the target.

4. Break your writing into short sections. It’s easier on you to write. Furthermore, it’s easier on your reader to read. Try to break long paragraphs into shorter, more digestible chunks. Make it easy to read and you’ll reach more readers.

5. Use short sentences and simple words. Writing and reading a long sentence takes longer than a short one. Cut lengthy sentences in half to make your writing easier to read. Aim your copy so a 6-7th grader could understand it. Remember using complex words won’t impress your readers. Most times it will annoy them to the tune of not finishing your book.

6. Be concise but specific. Compelling copy is concise. Unnecessary words waste your time and most of all your reader’s time. It dilutes your message and makes your book longer than necessary. Additionally, be specific. When writing your book, stick to the specific information about your topic. The more relevant facts you include, the better. If you don’t bother to dig for specifics about your topic, your book may end up vague filled with meaningless words.

7. Write your book the easy way to finish fast. Three of the top ways to speed write your book includes: Act Now. Action will paralyze fear each and every time. Avoid marathon writing. Know you don’t have to become a hermit to write and complete a successful book. Commit to the tracking approach. Doing a set amount even if it’s only 30 minutes to an hour each day builds a cumulative effect.

8. Use laser focus. Apply laser focus to complete your book writing project faster. For example, if you look at a 40 watt bulb, the light is soft. Yet you can take the same 40 watts; put it in a laser gun and the same 40 watts become a focused beam of light that can cut through different objects like a sharp knife through paper. To use laser focus in your book project, prioritize, do only one project at a time and complete one project before you start another.

If you don’t use these book writing tips to finish fast, you may be this time next year working on the same book project. Remember to put your book writing in the top 3 priorities of your life, write an intention goal, put your reader first, break your writing into short sections, use short sentences and simple words, be concise but specific, learn to write the easy way and use laser focus. Using the above simple book writing tips you can easily write and complete your book fast. See you at the finish line. Finish fast; finish strong and sell sooner.

Do you want to write a book, yet you are not sure how to get started? You may have some concerns that you tried before and after writing a few pages you got stuck and stopped.

Many new writers feel this way especially when you are an entrepreneur with a busy schedule and writing is not the primary way you make money. You make your money with your products and services that you offer your customers.

What is an entrepreneur to do? If you have a book out there you will be recognized as an expert in your field. You will attract new clients and build your business. This is what every business owner wants. More important, you have a great book idea that will help solve problems for your readers and potential clients and you are the expert.

What is stopping you from writing a book? For most new writers it is a lack of preparation, organization, good writing habits, and most important very little passion to write. Let’s get started and create some new good writing habits that will motivate you to write a book and keep on going.

1. Know the purpose/theme of your book.

You probably know why you are writing your book. You should write your non-fiction how-to book because you have something important to say to your clients and readers. Know the purpose of your book. What are you going to persuade your readers to do or how can you solve their problems? Most important, you are confident that you can learn and find any information you need to write your book. You are passionate about your topic.

2. Write about personal experiences.

Begin a notebook that has your personal stories in it that relate to the book you are writing. Or start a list of stories on your computer. Also collect success stories on how you solved your customers’ problems. (Remember to get their written permission if you use their real names in your book.) Your book will never be boring if it has lots of personal success stories and experiences in it. You could also use stories you read in the newspapers and business magazines -just make sure you give credit and get permission to use them. Also talk to other people about your book. They may give you ideas and they will be your cheerleaders during your writing adventure.

3. Write an outline of your book.

Now that you have a winning topic you must outline your book so you know where you are going. The more detailed your outline the easier it will be to write your book. For each chapter there is 1) a main topic, 2) sub-points, and 3) a concluding summary paragraph or two. Begin making a list of each chapter and what points you are going to cover in each. Whether you use a computer or 3×5 index cards to organize your chapters is up to you.

4. Write one chapter a week.

You know your topic. You have done your research and you have your scribbled notes and ideas in a file or box waiting for you to pull them out and write those first words. Here is an important writing habit to start: Reserve time on your calendar to write at least five times a week. It could be 30 minutes a day, one hour, or devote a whole day to writing. One author devotes a whole weekend to writing one chapter. At the end of 90 days she has 12 chapters completed. Another devotes one hour per day. At the end of 90 days she also has 12 chapters finished. It can be done if you are committed to setting aside time, putting it on your calendar, and doing it. Discipline yourself to write on a daily schedule and reserve the time in your calendar. Or make it a habit to write one chapter each week. That is an easy way to measure your writing success and to finish your first draft in 90 days.

5. Record and transcribe one chapter at a time.

Talk into a tape recorder. Or better yet, ask a friend to talk to you on the phone and record the conversation. Usually a one-hour phone call equals enough for one chapter. Your one-hour phone call is devoted to one topic/chapter of your book. Your friend can ask you questions like a reader would and make sure you stay focused on the chapter you are recording. Or hire a book writing coach who knows all the right questions to ask and keeps you on target. Get your recording transcribed and you have the first draft of your chapter ready for your review. Isn’t that easy? If you talk into a tape recorder by yourself have your outline notes ready on the chapter you want to discuss so you will stay on the chapter you are recording. Stop when you run out of ideas. Come back to it later when you are fresh and ready to go again.

Now you have five good writing habits to follow:

1) Know the purpose or theme of your book.

2) Use personal stories to keep interest.

3) Prepare an outline to make it easy to write.

4) Write one chapter per week.

5) Record and transcribe one chapter at a time.

If you follow these good writing habits you will breeze through your first draft and finish it in 90 days!

Copyright 2008, Joan Clout-Kruse.

R. Dodge Woodson

www.lonewolfent.net

 

Writing A Book Proposal

            The first step in getting a publisher to publish your book idea is writing a book proposal. This intimidates some people. It doesn’t have to be frightening. Once you know the components of a professional book proposal you can attack it one phase at a time and prevail with a superior proposal. If you can’t create a winning book proposal you are not likely to be able to sell or write a book.

            What does a book proposal consist of? The basic elements are as follows:

Cover letter Title of the book Table of contents Audience Competition Concept and approach Credentials Reviewers Sample chapters Contact information

 Cover Letter

            Your cover letter should be concise. Keep it to a single page. This letter is your sales pitch, so make every word count. Tell in no more than two paragraphs why a publisher should be interested in your idea. Follow this with a brief review of your credentials to author the book and then lead into the proposal contents.

Title of Book

            Choose the title of your book carefully. Don’t make it too long. Avoid being cute with the title. If you are selling a how-to book, the title should reflect the subject matter. An example might be: Remodel Your Bathroom in Less Than a Month! Another example could be: Building Your Own Compositing System. The book title is the beginning hook for securing a publisher, so invest enough time in it to make yourself successful.

 Table of Contents

            How long should a table of contents be? As long as it needs to be. Most non-fiction books contain between 10 and 20 chapters. I would say a good average is around 16 chapters. The word count for such a book is likely to be between 50,000 words and 85,000 words.

            Chapters do not have to be equal in length. You should make them as long as they need to be to convey the required information to readers. A table of contents should begin with a heading for an introduction. From there, you list chapters in numerical order as they will appear in the book. Under each chapter title you should either write a paragraph that explains what the chapter will contain or use a bullet list of at least five key topics to be covered in the chapter.

            Consider if your book will benefit from a glossary or appendix materials. If so, this information should be listed on the table of contents.

 Audience

            Who is the audience for your book? Never say everyone. There should be a prime audience and a secondary audience. If you are writing a book about treasure hunting, your prime audience will be treasure hunters. Secondary markets could be bottle diggers, metal detecting enthusiasts and so forth. The more defined list of an audience you provide, the better your chances of making a sale are.

 Competition

            You need to know your competition and point it out to your perspective publisher. Don’t look for a book that has never been written. Publishers like the comfort level of being able to check the sales records of similar types of books to see what the likelihood of success is for your project.

            Online book stores are excellent places to conduct your research. Find three books that match your concept as closely as possible. Then record the following data for your proposal:

 

Book title Author’s name Publisher’s name Date of publication Number of pages in the book Price of the book International Standard Book Number (ISBN) for the book

Determine what makes your book idea better or different and explain it to the publisher. If you can’t do this, your book will probably not get published by a major publisher.

 Concept and Approach

            The concept and approach is your big sales pitch. This is where you describe the contents of your book, your credentials, and what will make your book a pleasure to publish and profit from. This section is usually about two pages long.

            When fleshing out the concept and approach you will want to include the types of illustrations you will use and how many of them the book will contain. How many book pages do you foresee the book having? Will you incorporate tip boxes or sidebars?

            Don’t worry about pricing the book or suggesting cover designs. The publisher will take care of this when the time comes.

            Use this section to describe your writing style. Conversational style is usually desired. Tell the publisher whatever is suitable to your topic in a way to make the book appear more desirable.

 Credentials

            Credentials are a key element in selling a non-fiction book. List all of your experience related to the subject matter. Make note of your education, licenses held, or other information that makes you the right author for the book. List any organizations that you belong to that might be conducive to special sales. Essentially, sell yourself.

 Reviewers

            Many publishers will want to receive a minimum of three peer reviews of a proposal before taking a project to the editorial board for approval. Include the names, titles, credentials, and contact information for people knowledgeable of your subject who may be willing to do a review for the publisher. The publisher is likely to use your people and some of their own for the reviews.

 Sample Chapters

            Many publishers will require one or two sample chapters from unknown authors. This allows the publisher to study your style and ability. It is best to use chapters from around the middle of the book. Avoid using the first or last chapter. Make your work shine. If you have gotten to the stage where a publisher is willing to read your sample work, you are well on the way to getting a book contract.

 Contact Information

            Don’t forget to include all of your contact information for publishers to use. It may be surprising, but some authors fail to do this. Make yourself accessible and easy to contact if you want to make a sale.

 Submission

            The last step is the submission of your proposal. Some publishers will accept electronic submissions while others want printed pages submitted. Check the publisher’s guidelines for the name of the editor to submit your work to and in what form the work should be submitted.

            Publishers frown on multiple submissions. Don’t send your proposal to more than one publisher at a time.

            Once you make your submission, it is a waiting game. Quick answers are often rejections. Expect it to take weeks to get any type of desirable reaction from a publisher. Be patient. If you are lucky, you will get a phone call when you least expect it to discuss the prospects of publishing your book. Making the sale will be an unforgettable experience.