10
Things that Keep You from Writing Your Book… and What You
Can do About It
by: Patsi
Krakoff and Denise Wakeman
9 out of 10 professionals and small
business owners have at least one book or information product
inside their head, but lack the time and organizational
skills to get it out into digital or print form.
You may cringe when you read this list of ten things keeping
you from writing your book, because it rings too close to
home for you. You may have already written a book or an
e-book, or have come close to starting it. It’s hard, we
know it, and we’ve been there too. But go ahead and read
this list, see if you can identify, and let’s discuss a
possible solution to the book writing problem.
1. I can’t seem to find the time.
2. Every time I sit down to write I go blank.
3. I need an uninterrupted time period to immerse myself.
4. I need clarity on my message, but there’s no one to consult
with.
5. I don’t know where to start or how to organize all the
chapters.
6. I’m afraid of losing clients and having my business suffer
if I take time away from it to write my book.
7. I agonize over the writing, the grammar, the sentence
structure and punctuation.
8. I know what I have to say, just can’t put it into written
form without losing clarity and impact.
9. I keep thinking about all the time involved in writing
the book, and wonder if it will ever bring me the results
I want.
10. Once I get it written, I have no idea how to get it
formatted, let alone marketed.
Ok, you know why you haven't started writing your book.
Do you know why you need to write a book?
Why You Need to Publish a Book
Here are a few reasons why writing and publishing a book
is important to you as an independent professional, small
business owner, or solo-preneur:
1. Having a book, whether in digital, soft-cover, or hard-cover
establishes you as an expert in your field.
2. People buy from people they know and trust; reading your
book is one step in creating client confidence and relationship.
3. Once people buy and read your book, they will want more
of what you have to offer in the way of services and knowledge.
Your book can attract readers into your sphere of potential
clients; once they have bought your book, they are ready
to buy other services from you.
4. Having a published book is a great marketing tool, and
people will actually pay for your expertise.
5. Books are one of the major sources of passive income
for professionals; once it is published it can continue
to generate sales for you, over the years and while you
sleep.
6. If you don’t get a book out soon, your competitors will
have the edge, because many of them already have one and
even two books out.
7. If you are a speaker, they make great bonus gifts and
back-of-the-room sales.
8. They provide a platform for you to expose your readers
to your mind and your heart, showing not only what you know,
but how much you care. You can reveal your deepest philosophies
through your writing, as well as your personal stories.
Three Solutions to the Book-Writing Problem
Of course, there is no problem if you’ve got a lot of money.
You just hire a book writer. There are many of them listed
at Elance.com. Some professionals do this, especially when
they need to get something published fast and there are
not a lot of complex issues to put forth. But is this really
what you want to do as a professional who has an important
message to convey?
Here is a list of solutions:
1. Hire someone to write your book for you (you can always
rewrite it in your own voice and add your own stories).
When finished, hire a publisher and then a publicist to
market it.
2. Hire a writing coach who will walk you through the steps,
chapter by chapter (again, for a substantial fee). Then
when finished, hire a publisher and a publicist.
3. Bite the bullet, put your business on hold for a few
months, and devote your time to just getting it written.
You will have to turn it over to a book designer and get
it formatted; search for the right publisher such as self-publishing
or print-on-demand services, and then market it yourself.
Expensive? Yes, all three solutions are expensive. They
each have their advantages and disadvantages.
The Fourth Solution
There is another solution! What if there was a way to help
you get your book down in print and ready for formatting
in 90 days?
What if you could do this by following a system that organized
you chapter by chapter, included testimonials, input from
peers, professional editing resources, design and formatting
resources at low costs, and only took a half-hour of time
per day?
Could you afford to invest that much time and energy out
of your busy day? Would it be worth it to you even if it
meant an hour a day for 90 days?
If you already have a blog that you use to communicate with
readers online, you can use your blog to write your book.
The blog format is perfect for organizing your ideas, chapters
and getting feedback from readers.
If you don’t have a blog yet, you may wish to create one.
They are simple to set up and use (we recommend Typepad.com).
It can be used to stay in touch with clients and to write
your thoughts in an informal way. A blog is like having
a conversation with people interested in your subject or
expertise. Once your book is finished and formatted, you
can then use your blog to market it. You already have a
built in audience, hungry for your content.
To read more about how this system works and how you can
benefit, go to this site: http://www.blogtobook.com – the
way you think about writing your book will shift and you'll
see it in a whole new light!
About the author:
Denise Wakeman of Next Level Partnership, and Patsi Krakoff
of Customized Newsletter Services, have teamed up to create
blogging and marketing services for independent professionals.
Their latest program is the Blog to Book Project: How to
Use a Blog to Create a Book in 90 Days or Less at http://www.blogtobook.comYou
can read and subscribe to their blogs at http://www.buildabetterblog.com
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