While you may think that your book would be perfect for everyone, it will be easier to write and more likely to be a hit if you direct it at a specific group. A book for pet owners is far too broad, and will only be able to give cursory attention to all the aspects of pet ownership.
The number of aspiring authors is growing as entrepreneurs, coaches, speakers and other professionals discover that writing a book increases their credibility and visibility. As their eagerness increases, however, their patience decreases and therefore many look for ways to get their books written fast.
On and off the Internet there are classes, retreats and webinars that promise to show you how to write a book in incredibly shorter and shorter amounts of time—28 days, 90 days, 5 days, a weekend and so on. How can this be? What does it take to write a book fast?
Here are 10 ways you can get your nonfiction books written fast.
1. Commit to getting your book completed in whatever time frame you’ve set.
Put your family and friends on notice that you won’t be available during this time or segments of time. Then treat this time like you would any job or school assignment. This means temporarily dropping any nonessentials from your schedule.
2. Choose a place to write that is comfortable and conducive to you.
For some, this is a dedicated room at home, without any distractions. For others the local library or coffee shop works best. Don’t wait until you afford a remote cabin in the woods or an escape to a deserted island.
3. Decide on the topic about which you’re passionate.
If you want to write a book on dieting, for example, you will have to narrow your topic considerably since there are infinite directions you can go with this topic. Your ideal diet may be one that allows you eat anything you want, but only in certain proportions. Perhaps you’ve come up with a way we can eat fast food only and still maintain our ideal weight. How about a cookie diet or ice cream diet?
4. Gather all the information you have on this topic.
If you are a coach, an entrepreneur, or a blogger you already have loads of content in the form of articles, blog posts, reports or speeches with which to work. When I wrote my book, “Color Your Life Happy: Create the Success, Abundance and Inner Joy You Deserve,” for example, I began with the blog posts I had already written about living a happy, peaceful and joyful life. If most of your ideas are still in your head, do a major brain dump into your computer or a recorder.
5. Decide on your target reader.
While you may think that your book would be perfect for everyone, it will be easier to write and more likely to be a hit if you direct it at a specific group. A book for pet owners is far too broad, and will only be able to give cursory attention to all the aspects of pet ownership. A book on diagnosing and nursing your sick pet bird back to health can go into depth and be much more satisfying for readers looking for this exact topic.
Create an outline of the key points you want to make.
Create a working title for your book and then convert it into a question. If you’re writing a book on attracting a man, perhaps your title in question form could be “How Can You Become Irresistible to Men?” Now make a list or record the answers to this question. These become your chapter headings.
6. Expand on each item from your list in as much detail as possible, in no particular order.
This can be done fast by having someone interview you while you record your answers in any order you wish. You can do this on your own without an interviewer, of course.
7. Resist editing what you’ve written and focus instead on finishing your rough draft.
This is the greatest challenge for writers. Each time you come back to your manuscript after a break, continue where you left off without going all the way back to the beginning. The editing and polishing of your book can only be done after you have a completed manuscript.
8. Gather the elements that can help convey your message.
Help your reader have a deeper and more meaningful experience by including relevant illustrations, quotes, tips, activities, charts, guides or other features.
9. Write your introduction telling the reader what they can expect from your book.
10. Now that you’ve finished your rough draft and introduction, print off the whole thing and read it through from beginning to end.
Use your red pen to edit your manuscript. Make the changes in your manuscript then turn over to a professional editor (not your nephew.)
By following these ten steps you can complete your nonfiction book successfully and in a short period of time.
Making Money From Your Writing
All successes are preceded by failures, setbacks, twists and turns. So, unless you have prepared for this early period with sufficient savings, keeping your job is strongly advised. I speak from experience.
You Can Write a Book
If the story you’ve been writing about yourself is that you can’t write, you’re not an author, or writing a book is for smarter people, then you’ve been living out that story up until now. It’s not a true story, but you’ve been living as if it is.
Five Writing Exercises for New Authors
If you are having a difficult time getting started with your writing, these exercises will help you get your "creative juices" flowing.
