Review: Profit From The Author Inside You

Profit From The Author Inside You
by Roger C. Parker
pdf format, 120 pages
$37.00

I've reviewed a number of eBooks recently, and none of them
excited me, but this one definitely did. If you've ever had
the slightest desire to write a 'How To' book, I urge you
to read 'Profit From The Author Inside You'.

It's worth pointing out right at the start that Robert
Parker does know what he's talking about - he has written
24 books that have been translated into 37 languages and
there are currently over 1.6 million copies of his books in
print.

This book assumes that you offer some kind of professional
service. Robert Parker argues that writing a 'How To' book
is not an end in itself, but a means of positioning
yourself as one of the leading experts in your field. As
Robert Parker shows, books possess "magical" powers -
writing a book opens the doors to speaking engagements,
spinoff books, newsletters, columns, and hefty consulting
fees.

I once knew a human resources expert in Australia and he
was very good at what he did. But he used to complain
bitterly that there were people with half his expertise
earning 20 times the amount he was. Why? Because they had
written a book!

If you've always thought of writing as a painful process
that requires a huge creative effort, you may be in for a
pleasant shock.

Robert Parker shows that most successful (i.e. top-selling)
'How To' books are based on a formula - they are written in
a 'paint by numbers' fashion.

The most exciting part of this book for me is a technique
that Robert Parker calls 'Painless Writing'.

He urges you to throw out of the window two very common
(and unsuccessful) approaches to writing a book: Marathon
Writing ("Getting away from it all" and dropping all other
activities while you work on your book) and Linear Writing
(trying to write your book from first to last chapter in an
ordered sequence).

Instead, he offers three approaches that will change the
way you write and make it much easier and much more fun:

(1) Molecular writing - this is a way of 'chunking down'
to the level of bite-sized pieces of information:
"harvesting individual ideas, or nuggets of information,
which you carefully organize and prioritize before
beginning writing".

(2) Measurable progress writing - "committing to write a
little each day, building time into your daily schedule (as
opposed to escaping to a cabin in the woods)".

(3) Non-sequential writing - "jumping into your project
wherever you're comfortable, starting with the easiest
ideas, and building your confidence point by point, idea by
idea, wherever they appear in your book".

Another part of this book that is essential reading if
you're thinking of writing a book is Chapter Four - '10
Characteristics of Successful Titles'. Did you know that
at least half of your book's success will be determined by
the title you choose?

Robert Parker shows you 10 key concepts that make the
difference between a title that sells well and one that
flops. (Here's a hint: the following titles all use these
10 key concepts: Chicken Soup For The Soul; Rich Dad, Poor
Dad; The Millionaire Next Door; The 7 Habits of Highly
Effective People; Think and Grow Rich; How to Win Friends
and Influence People).

The book also contains 4 work sheets (pages 99 to 120) that
guide you through the writing of your book.

'Profit From The Author Inside You' set of explosions in my
head on virtually every page. In fact, it fired me up so much
that I'm now using Robert Parker's techniques to write a book
that I've been trying to write for over 5 years. What more
can I say?

You can get your copy of 'Profit From The Author Inside You'
at: http://www.freezineweb.com/pftaiy.cgi It has a 30 day
money back guarantee, so you really can't go wrong.