Most speakers write a book to position themselves as an expert and to get more speaking gigs. But if you’ve tried to write a book then you might realize how hard it can be. You’re sitting there, staring at your computer, wondering where to start. So how do you write a book?
I’ve written 4 books. Two books were written in under 4 days….and they’re good books (not just because I said so but because of other reviews…and because my mom said so).
Here’s the process I go through to write a book:
1. The main theme
First, you want to start with the main theme of your book. Why are you even writing a book? If your main reason for writing a book is to position you as an expert then you’re going to have a hard time getting that book out versus if you want to write the book because you truly have something you want to share.
This is crucial because when you’re writing from the standpoint of trying to be positioned as an expert, your motivation is external but when you’re writing from the standpoint of truly sharing something, your motivation is internal. The internal motivation allows you to write and write and write because you just HAVE to get it out.
My first book was for magicians who wanted to get high paying corporate gigs and I wrote it in 3 days because I knew exactly how to do it and I knew what it feels like to want to get gigs so badly but nobody will show you how. I woke up at 6-7am…and started writing all day, everyday until midnight.
Inner motivation allows you to have a laser-like focus.
2. Write the chapters
Your mind works in “Frames.” By frames, I mean that your mind needs direction so it knows what to look for and what to ignore.
Writing your chapters sets your frame so you know what you’re going to include in the book. If you started writing without knowing what the chapters would be then it will take you longer because your mind will keep saying, “What should I write next?” And if you have your chapters set then your mind will keep saying, “This is what’s next.” There’s a huge difference.
The first book I wrote was for magicians who wanted to perform magic in restaurants. I used to do this for years until I switched to the corporate market and started building a bigger business but before I started writing, I figured out the structure of the book so it would take the readers on the a journey from beginning to end rather than giving them random pieces of information.
3. Set aside time every day
You need to turn writing into a habit. If you just write whenever you feel like it then it will take you 20 years to finish your book.
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Someone once asked Somerset Maughham if he wrote on a schedule or only when struck by inspiration. “I write only when inspiration strikes,” he replied. “Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.
If you want to write your book then you need to write every day. You don’t have to change your schedule around, just wake up an hour earlier and start writing for that hour. Remove all distractions and focus.
4. Use Dragon Dictate
Dragon Dictate is an amazing program because it allows you to speak and it types everything out for you. This is how I was able to write my books so quickly. All the information for the books was in my head, it just needed to come out and by speaking into the software, it typed everything out for me.
Mac computers have a built-in program that allows you to speak and it types it out for you (just like your phone) but those versions were built for short commands, not to write an entire book. Dragon Dictate was made so you can create something quick.
Another way to do this is to just use a recorder and talk into your recorder, then have it transcribed and edited.
However, and this is a big however….
When you actually write something, instead of talk, the writing forces you to really think about the words you’re using. Your mind goes deeper into the words you’re using and you’re forced to pay attention to how you’re communicating. But when you speak, you’re only looking at things from your perspective rather than taking note about how your words affect the reader.
Writing allows you to organize your thoughts better.
5. Include ways to stay in touch
When you’re writing your book, it’s best to include a way to stay in touch with you in the introduction and at the end of your book…but….don’t pitch on every single page of your book.
It’s easy to see if someone wrote a book because they wanted to get something out versus wanting to position themselves as an expert. The people who want to position themselves as an expert will keep telling you to go so-and-so website to get more information…the book becomes a pitch fest.
Look at all the great books and you will notice that they communicate an idea, they don’t pitch the authors products on every single page…it’s annoying. It might have been effective at first but now that everyone is doing it, people are getting annoyed.
If you really want to include links to videos on your website then include a couple and have a “resources” section at the end of your book. This resources section makes it easy for readers to get the information they want instead of looking for it throughout your book.
Overall, writing a book is simple. You figure out what you want to write about, write the topics, and start writing. As you write, you will notice the limits in your knowledge about your particular subject and this will allow you to get better at what you do by studying your own limitations.
Once you write your book, now it’s time to become a marketing rockstar.
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