10 Steps to Writing Your First Book

For many entrepreneurs, writing a book can be a great way to establish credibility, promote a new idea, and create new opportunities like speaking engagements. While the process may sound simple and straightforward, the actual process of writing a book can intimidate even the most experienced writer. If you’re not a writer by trade, it can seem downright impossible.

Writing and publishing a book takes time, effort, and a bit of money. If becoming a published author is on your bucket list, don’t let the intimidation factor scare you away. The first step is to develop an understanding of the process, and to create a plan of attack.

#1: Start by Reading

If writing a book is on your goal list, the first place to start is by reading authors that resonate with you. This is especially true if writing isn’t naturally your thing. Pinpoint the styles you prefer, and which ones you don’t. You’ll need to find your own voice, but if you are starting from scratch – learning from established professionals can at least point you in the right direction.

#2: Brainstorm

Once you’ve identified the type of book you want to write, it’s time to find your topic and voice. The best way to accomplish this is to have a brainstorm session. Give yourself a time limit that you can live with – at least an hour – close yourself off from the rest of the world, and just start writing any and every thought that comes to your mind. Don’t worry about formatting, don’t worry about validity, just take notes on everything that pops into your head. If writing isn’t your thing, do this step on a tape recorder. Then, go back after at least 1-2 days (but no more than a week) and review your notes to see which ones really get you excited. That’s your book!

#3: Consider a Ghostwriter

If you have something to say, but you just cannot commit to writing a book completely by yourself, consider hiring a ghostwriter to help. While this will add to the cost of publishing your book, it can give you the edge you need to create a finished product that you can be proud of. When choosing a ghostwriter, make sure that they can produce work in your voice, have experience writing about your industry/topic area, and have the bandwidth to finish the project within a reasonable timeframe. Many ghostwriters also offer research services to help you fill in the “blanks” on your book to reinforce your ideas. The right ghostwriter can help you with the rest of the process and drive the project to completion.

#4: Set an Outline

The free flow of ideas is an important step in writing a book you can be proud of – but equally as important is creating a specific plan to tackle that topic. List out the most important points you want to convey to your audience, and format them in a way that is palatable for the general reader. When you’re done, you should have an outline of chapters, and the main points you’ll be covering. This will help to keep you focused and on topic.

#5: Set a Schedule

Once you have your outline clearly defined, set time goals for your first draft. You can do this using a word count (i.e., “I’m going to write 5,000 words every day”). You can also break it down by chapter (i.e., “I’m going to finish one chapter every week”). The most important thing to remember is to choose a goal that is doable for you. If you set goals that you cannot keep, you’ll get discouraged as you fall farther and farther behind. Consistent progress is key.

#6: Get to Writing!

Now it’s time for the fun part – writing your book! Stick to your schedule to the best of your ability, and just knock out the copy. Now is not the time to edit, to consider formatting, grammar, and structure. Your main goal right now is to get words on that page. You’ll fix the rest later.

#7: Hire an Editor

Regardless of whether you are an experienced writer or a novice, you will need an editor for your book. If nothing else, an editor provides an objective perspective to help you ensure that your audience can understand your purpose behind the book. As you’re writing, it’s a good idea to have an editor already engaged and working on cleaning up your copy as you go along. That way, you’re not waiting for them to edit your entire book in one swoop.

#8: Get a Focus Group

There is a bit of a debate amongst book marketers – some say that it’s best to put your book in the hands of as many people as possible for free. When I market a book project, I encourage the client to put together a set focus group that they can trust to give objective feedback, rather than handing out free copies to as many people as possible.  After all, you’ve put a lot of work into this product – you should see some monetary return for it. If you develop a reputation of giving your product away for free, what does that tell your audience about the value of the book?

Your focus group should have about 8-10 individuals who will read the book. You’ll want to make sure that each member of the focus group accurately represents your target audience. You may want to offer a small incentive for them to take the time to read the book and send you their notes. Take these notes, review them with your editor, and incorporate as your team sees fit.

#9: Design Your Cover

There is a lot of competition in the self-publishing world. To be taken seriously, you’ll need a professionally design front and back cover for your book. A clear and easy to read cover that catches the eye can go a long way to make your book stand out. Make sure you have a professional author-worthy headshot and bio for your back cover, along with a few reviews from your focus group to give your book that added edge.

#10: Publish

Once you’ve finished the editing process, you’re happy with your cover, and you feel solid in the results of your focus group – you’re ready to publish! Whether you’ve decided to go with an e-book format, a hard copy publication, or both – you have several options to self-publish. CreateSpace is a great, cost effective option to get your book print-ready and published. For ebooks, Amazon KDP, Kobo Writing Life, and Nookpress are all popular options for self-publishing.

Congratulations! You’ve just published your first book! Now, you’ll need to market and sell your work – but that’s another blog.

Guest Contributor: Erika Heeren is the founder of Heeren Content & Strategy. With 14 years of experience marketing and public relations, she has a professional focus on integrated media spanning 16 different industries.

Heeren works with small businesses and non-profit organizations to provide affordable, professional-quality content development, marketing, and public relations services. Her clients include local small business owners, marketing agencies, public universities, media outlets, Huffington Post-published authors, IT firms, and non-profit organizations.

A military spouse herself, Erika is an outspoken advocate for veteran and military spouse education, employment, and entrepreneurship. As a volunteer eMentor for the Military Entrepreneur Program, she works one-on-one with aspiring military-affiliated entrepreneurs to help them grow their business. She also volunteers as a digital marketing instructor with Treasure Valley SCORE.

Heeren is an award-winning writer and has been featured on NextGen Military Spouse, Veteran on the Move, Wright Stuff Radio, and Social Media Week.