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No Time to Finish your Book?
Judy Cullins ©2004 All Rights Reserved.
This number one complaint keeps many a professional from expanding their
business through a book. As a book-writing coach, the Number One Question I get
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1. Write a short book for your first effort.
Expand an article, talk, or report by adding a few stories, anecdotes,
quotes, tips, or how-to's. This book may even be just one chapter idea you have for
your longer book. Focused writing sells well too. People Online and off want
easy-to-read short information because they are so busy. They don't want to
spend a lot of time reading. Make your first book 10-50 pages.
2. Write your print book and eBook at the same time. It's like cooking--you
create a dish that you can serve twice for a one-time effort.
Make two word files, one for each format.
As you lay out your chapter titles and their theses, decide what components
to leave out in your eBook version. You don't need long stories or a lot of
quotes. Give your potential buyers the meat they want. Short, but useful
information!
In your print version that you may want to publish via Print on Demand for
much less cash outlay, offer more client examples or other stories to illustrate
your point. Add extra, useful information in tips, sidebars, charts or
graphs. Make your perfect bound print book from 100-120 pages. That's substantial
enough for traditional minds, yet financially fruitful and time saving for the
busy entrepreneur. Now, you have two products for the time price of one.
3. Check your daily calendar. What do you spend the most time on? How is that
working for you?
What's happening in your daily life that stops your book?
Do you have too much to do on your daily list? Do you feel guilty you aren't
doing enough? Do your present efforts pay off in new clients or other sales?
Perhaps you focus on putting out the fires, email checking time, and other
barely important things to help you succeed. If so, look to what to move to the
top of your list--your book. Work on it and finish it before you slide away to
other interests.
Notice where you spin wheels that don't bring you new clients, a balanced
life or sales. Always focus on what you do and enjoy best and for business, what
makes you the most money for the smallest effort.
4. Write down in your daily to do pages of your organizer 2-3 High Level
Activities (HLA's) you need to do to move your book to the finish line.
Include a whole week of HLA's at a time
Example: Monday.
-List topics and questions to answer for the whole book 2. --Categorize just
one chapter's questions and topics-ie. ch. 2.
Example: Tuesday.
-Write a rough draft of the middle of ch. 2--what questions you will answer
-Answer those questions (now headings)
- Note: If you answer 5 questions, you will have about a 5-page middle of the
chapter.
5. Finish the high priority activity before you move on to a lower priority.
That means phone calls, emails, and requests from others. Give yourself a
definite time each day that is sacred to the cause. Your finished book.
6. Remember the payoffs.
Put less important things on the back burner. Know why your book will payoff.
It brings you new clients, it illustrates your savvy expertise, it connects
you to others to make their lives better.
Writing a short book can be the most powerful marketing activity. If you
don't work well alone, join a phone coaching session with other book writers.
When you get feedback on what you write from a professional group, your writing
improves and moves faster to the finish line. Your book coach will gently nudge
you to do each assignment before you move on.
7. Don't buy into the myth, "Writing a book takes too much time"
Actually, the best chapter writing happens fast! With the "Fast-Forward
Writing Technique," the template to write a chapter helps you write it right the
first time. Then your book is easy-to-read, compelling, and well organized.
Another great benefit is that you only need to edit 3-4 times. Writers without
his help spend more time revising than writing the first draft. Get help from
people who have been there before. Check out book writing teleclasses and small
group "book achievers" coaching groups.
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Judy Cullins: 20-year author, speaker, book coach
Helps entrepreneurs manifest their book and web dreams
eBk: "How to Market your Business on the Internet"
Special: "Internet Business Marketing Marathon" - Teleclass
$15 - Sept 30, 5pm PT / 8pm ET
www.bookcoaching.com/teleclasses.shtml
FRE.E "The Book Coach Says..." or Business Tip of the Month
www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml -- mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com
Orders: 866/200-9743 -- Ph: 619/466-0622
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