how to write a book

For some people writing a book is a life-long dream.

I, on the other hand, never even gave it a second thought till about 2 years ago.

Now, on the verge of publishing my first book, I get more and more questions from people asking me how I did it and what advice I can give them.

If you’ve read any of my posts on time management you know I’m a big believer in using my time effectively so rather than send an email to each person who asked, what better way than to write a post about it.

Let me start off by saying that writing a book is never as easy as you think it is.

There are lots of books out there claiming you can write a book in 7 days or whatnot but if you’re serious about publishing a book it will take time.

With that said, the journey of writing a book has been one of the greatest of my life.

It’s like getting a degree in writing and publishing all in one. So if you’re even remotely considering it, I’d say, just get started.

Here is a list of things you’ll need to bear in mind.

• Title – key in capturing people’s interest
• Cover – find the right design
• Brainstorm – come up with every possible idea you can think of first, then eliminate later. Better to have more than less.
• Chapter titles – the more creative the better
• Words – write in a way that suits the people you want to reach
• Editing – find a professional and be willing to pay them
• Publisher – decide whether you want to self-publish or not (benefits on both sides)
• eBook – decide whether you want it to be an eBook or a physical book
• Marketing – how will you get spread word of your book?
• Future – what will you do after it’s published?

A book becomes your calling card.

It adds to your credibility.

Or detracts from it all the same which is why, like any project, you should put 110% effort into creating something that you can stand behind.

Writing a book isn’t for everyone but for those of you who are even remotely considering it, the key to making your dreams a reality is simple – get started.

Good luck!

Adrian Shepherd

ps. I finally cleared all the hurdles holding me back and sent it the manuscript to get final approval from my new publishing company, fingers crossed.