The first step to writing your business or self-help nonfiction book is, well, sitting down at your desk and starting to write. However, many aspiring authors, no matter how much they want to write a book, don’t take that first step. They have the desire, but they don’t take action.
Why? Perhaps they aren’t quite ready. In other words, they may not have their ideas and goals clear in their minds. If you’ve been thinking about writing a book, but haven’t gone much farther than thinking, consider the following questions.
1. Why do you want to write a book?
Behind every successful business/self-help nonfiction book is a clearly defined goal. Maybe that’s growing a business, starting a new business, establishing expertise in a particular field, or offering a solution. Whatever the reason, the author knows from the get-go what they want to accomplish with their book.
Are you clear about why you want to write your book? If not, then give it some thought. Envision how you want your book to fit into your business. Does it generate leads for a higher priced program or service? Is it a way to make additional income from your web site? Getting clear on your goal will help you determine a strategy for achieving it.
2. What do you want to say?
If you’re interested in writing a book on your area of expertise, chances are you’ve got plenty of material. You probably have more than enough ideas and content to fill a book. But the question that stumps many aspiring authors is, “What does it all mean?”
This question has stumped me, for sure. For the past three years or so, I’ve been researching a book about alligators (not a business or self-help book, but a good example anyways). I’ve got more than enough research and material to fill a book, but I haven’t finished it because I’m not sure exactly what I want to say about the topic. This is a personal decision that I have to make. Once I make this decision, I’ll be able to align all my material to communicate my underlying message.
If you’re stumped on what you want to say in your book, give some thought to what you want your reader to know or understand after reading it. What problem do you want to help them solve? What transformation can your material help them achieve? Understanding what you want to say will make it easier to put all your material and ideas together.
3. Do you have enough material?
Now, if you aren’t clear on what you want to say because you don’t have enough material to know, then that’s easy enough to fix with research. In this case, start by asking yourself questions about your topic. What do you most want to know about it? What hasn’t already been said by other authors? What aspects of it haven’t been thoroughly explored? Read as much as possible that’s already been written on your topic, and use what you find as a guide for researching your book and compiling your material.
Ready or not…
If you’ve been procrastinating writing your book, then the reason may be that your idea isn’t fully formed. And that’s an easy problem to fix! Use these three questions to think about your book and what you want it to achieve. When your goals and purpose are clear, you’ll feel compelled to take action and make your dream of becoming a published author a reality!
Comments? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
About the Author: Melinda Copp helps self-employed professionals, coaches, consultants, and speakers write and publish to establish expertise, attract a following of ideal readers and clients, and make more money. Get a free copy of her Write Your Book Quick-Start Mini E-course when you sign up for her weekly e-zine.
