Many people consider writing a book by themselves or they hire a ghostwriter, at least once in their life. I know many professionals who would like to contribute knowledge and put all their experiences on paper, and many people who have ever dreamed of writing their own book. Today, taking advantage of the fact that a few months ago I wrote an email for a friend giving him some advice on how to write a book, I am also giving them to you, in case you were interested.

How to write a book

Theme

The most interesting thing is to have a clear topic and what you want to tell, for which target audience from there all the necessary passion is born.

Without the subject clarified any attempt to write will be in vain, it may be free writing, but it will not be in the form of a book. My recommendation is that you think about topics that you are passionate about and that at the same time are very much needed out there. On the other hand, you need to flow with them while you think or write. Remember the rule of the three circles.

Type of book

The next step would be to decide the type of book, format, and even fine-tune the number of pages that you think is reasonable. You can write a novel (in which you have less content) or a popular book in which there is more content.

Take a look at your books in the bookstore and you will surely discover how you would initially like yours to be.

Define the plan

The next thing would be to make a small plan, so as not to sabotage you with the dates. For example, without knowing your schedule, perhaps setting yourself a 12-month deadline for the entire process could be realistic. This would imply having it finished in the next year. It does not have to be a long time (3 years), or a little, something that you see affordable for you at this time in your life.

Advices to write a book

Let the ideas come to you

The next thing is to start writing down content that you want to put in your book somewhere, adding possible topics to talk about, and that your daily creativity gives you after a shower, or while traveling. For example: “Conscious eating”, etc. In this sense, a list on your mobile in Evernote or Trello can help you, so you can enrich it from wherever you are.

Create a structure

Next you create the approximate structure of chapters that you would like your book to have with the contents that you have annotated.

Find moments to write

At the same time, you have to find the gaps to write. What practice tells me is that in 2 hours of writing you don’t do much, because you don’t focus. Many people want to write books but sabotage themselves along the way, because it is like a long distance race. When you are most profitable writing is when you get into it for at least 4-5 hours. And if you do it for at least 4 days in a row, you can write many words per day.

I used to write in the mornings for 3 or 4 weeks in summer vacations, but for a while now I prefer to leave the vacations on vacation, and take weeks off during the year. In this way I usually go to any National Park on a Monday and return on Friday at noon. This gives me 3.5 days to write, and there I usually write a lot in different periods (before breakfast, during the morning and in the afternoon), about 8 hours a day in which everything flows.

Receive feedback

The next step once written is to send it to people so they can give you feedback and you can improve it. Limit the time because otherwise this phase is stretched more than necessary. A couple of months should be enough to correct the book on the semantic aspects.

Find a publisher

At the same time you have to go looking for a publisher. Self-publishing does not usually work well unless you are an internationally renowned character and your followers buy everything you say on your Instagram. The rest of the people who self-publish: 99.9% is because they have not found a publisher, or because they have not bothered to search for it. From my point of view you have to try, if you don’t try, you won’t succeed.

The interesting thing is that a publisher endorses your work and wants to put it in its catalog and represent it in the world for many years. From my point of view, self-publishing has to be the last option. To find a publisher, look at the publishers that are publishing books like the one you want to publish: thematic, etc., and address them in the best way you can. From a phone call, an email, or approaching your editor over coffee.

Publishers usually take between 2 and 6 months to answer you about whether they publish the manuscript you have sent them. My recommendation is to try several publishers that are reference for you. If after this it had not come out, look for second-level publishers, there are many today. Keep in mind that depending on the type of publisher, this is how your book will be represented. A publisher with little renown, will surely spend a lot on you in terms of marketing, design, and distribution. Still, I am in favor of the idea that “one publisher” is better than “no publisher.” If it’s your first book, go for it.

Ideally, your editorial will take care of the final corrections, layout, cover, etc.

Copyright

At the same time, when you have the manuscript, you can go to register the copyright at the appropriate place in your city, it will take you half an hour and only about € 20 tax, and in some way it guarantees that your work is protected and that you have the copyright. Although with how fast the world goes today, nothing happens if you don’t. Anyway, I recommend it to “certify” what you have written, it is something like putting your stamp on it before the community of authors.

The publisher then takes care of the legal deposit and the ISBN, you don’t have to know anything about that because they do it.

And finally, there is a day when your book will be published in bookstores.

I hope I have helped you define your next project.

Have a great day.