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5 Tips to Writing Your Non-Fiction Book in 90 Days

June 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Last week I listened and viewed a webinar from Steve Harrison and Ann McIndoo on how to write your non-fiction book in 90 days or less. Ann has worked with well known authors such as Tony Robbins, Bob Proctor, Louise Hay, and many others. Her proven technique helped these authors sell millions of books and gain millions of readership, and it can work for you too.

Writing a non-fiction book in 90 days may sound like an awesome feat, but it can be done if you’re committed to your book. Make sure you’ve narrowed down your topic and want to write about it. If you’re not thrilled with the topic, writing your book could take more than 90 days. However, if you’re excited about your book  and can’t wait to see it in print then follow the steps below to get it written now.

Tips to writing your non-fiction book in 90 days

1. Set a deadline. Like it or not, you need to commit to a deadline. Write it down on a calendar and post it all over your home office, refrigerator, and bathroom mirror. This way you won’t forget it.

Declare it to yourself and the universe you’ll write and publish your book. Create an inviting writing space that is free of distractions. Take action every night and write for 30 minutes or more. Or, write on the weekends for five or more hours. Do whatever it takes to complete your manuscript.

Imagine seeing your book published and arriving in bookstores. See yourself at book signings happily signing your name in the books of your adoring readers. If you can conceive it, you can achieve it. You must believe it!

2. What is the structure of the book? How many chapters is your book? What are you writing about? What’s the order of your subjects? What are you going to say about topics? Create an outline because it can help you stay on track. If you’re unsure of how to structure your book, go to the bookstore and peruse the pages of your favorite authors. How many chapters are their books? How are they structured? What are the components? Also, write down three sections of the bookstore your books should be in, and visualize your book on the shelf. Mentally make space for your book.

3. Use a proven process that garners success. How did Tony Robbins and other well known non-fiction authors write their books quickly? What did they do? Dig into their bios and find out all you can about them. Who did they work with? What systems did they use? If you do this, you’ll be able to unearth their secrets to success and recreate it for yourself.

4. Author care and support group. Writing your book can be a solitary experience but don’t go it alone. Working on your own may discourage you. If you don’t have a winning plan, your book will never get finished. If you slack off, you won’t have anyone to hold you accountable. You may feel guilty about it but that’s it. Without support and feedback, your aspirations of publishing a book will die.

5. Special time: writing appointments. Create, set, and maintain writing appointments. Unless there’s an emergency, don’t skip your appointments. As always, make sure your writing environment is one you actually want to write in.

Bonus: 3Ds of writing

1. Discipline

2. Dedication

3. Determination

If you want your book written and published then be persistent, take action, and get out of your way.

Rebecca

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Would You Stretch the Truth or Lie in a Memoir?

June 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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James Frey has been dragged through the media because of claims that he exaggerated some of the details in his book A Million Little Pieces. He recently appeared on Oprah as a way to bring closure to that chapter in his life. He felt he owed it to Oprah after the drama unfolded around him and his book in 2006. Greg Mortenson author of Three Cups of Tea still faces charges that the story was fabricated. The financial statements of his foundation, Central Asia Institute (CAI), are being investigated; they could be faulty. Unfortunately, stretching the truth sometimes happens in a memoir. The question is, “Would you stretch the truth or lie in a memoir just to get it published?”

I watched the May 16, 2011 interview with James Frey and couldn’t help but have compassion for him. Let’s face it, his book didn’t publish itself. You’d think the literary agent and publisher would check the ‘facts’ and ask tough questions to ensure the memoir was truthful. But as you know, controversy is a big seller.

The readers of James’ memoir felt betrayed and were given their money back. Readers expect authors to be truthful, especially when they resonate with the author’s story. Most readers will say, “I can relate to this story.” When they find out it’s a complete fabrication, it’s like being kicked in the gut. Perhaps they’re working on getting over being betrayed or learning to trust people again. Knowing that a book is completely false could do more harm than good.

It’s true that an author’s memory may be inaccurate, but when you’re writing about something that’s close to your heart, chances are you’ll remember. In fact, you probably journaled about your experience which means you can use your journals as a basis for your book. Having the attitude, “Most writing is fiction,” won’t be accepted my most readers. Look at how politicians are crucified for ‘tweeting’ or posting lewd pictures of themselves on social media networks. Do you want to have that experience? If you have a family, you may not want the experience.

When in doubt, avoid lying in your memoir. Most memoirs are emotionally charged because their based on childhood trauma, addiction, or some other harrowing event. Readers expect that you’re telling the truth. They’ll be devastated if they find out you invented facts or the entire story! Make sure readers know the memoir is based on your experience. Anyone mentioned in your book, i.e., family, friends, spouses, co-workers, etc. will have a different story from yours. It’s important to disclose this. Your memoir is based solely on what you experiences — it’s your version of the story.

Rebecca

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What’s Holding You Back from Writing a Novel?

June 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Do you have a novel inside of you that’s waiting to come out? What’s holding you back? It could be fear, discipline, lack of focus, too many ideas, shaky plot, confidence, etc. holding you back. For me, it’s the discipline of writing a novel without editing and proofreading as I write. I can’t help it. Even when I write blog posts and articles, I have a tendency to edit and proofread as I write. If I could shift from editing and proofreading as I write to writing non-stop, I could write a novel in less than six months!

I have many ideas for YA and fiction novels and have been testing my ideas on the Creative Copy Challenge. I’ve received valuable feedback on all my submissions, especially my recent short stories. Many of the other writers feel as if they’re reading an introduction to my novels when I post my ‘short stories’ using the words provided for the challenge. This is encouraging.

Some of my ideas could translate to the small and big screen. My latest novel idea could become a television series or three feature films (novel would be a trilogy). In order for anyone of this to happen, I must sit at my desk, open my laptop, create a new Word document, and write my novel. Unfortunately, it won’t write itself.

If writing novel is daunting, you could always speak your novel using voice recognition technology. Most laptops and Macs already have this installed. Or, you could purchase voice recognition software. It’s a good idea to have the plot ‘sketched’ out on paper which will make it easier to speak your novel. Another alternative is to hire a ghostwriter or collaborate on the novel with another writer. Either of these will help you write your novel which is half the battle.

If you have a novel or two within you, have the courage to get it on paper or in a Word document. If you’re like me and like to edit and proofread as you write, challenge yourself not to do this. It may be difficult at first, but once you do it, you’ll find it easier to edit and proofread when you finish writing. You could always go back to your ‘old way’s once you’ve completed your novel. The choice is yours!

Rebecca

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How to Select a Self-Publishing Company

June 8, 2011 by 1 Comment
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Many authors are choosing to self-publish their books instead of waiting around for a literary agent or publisher to publish their books. This could work for you. If you have good business acumen, understand marketing and selling, and are willing to do the work, your books could sell better through self-publishing than traditional publishing.

Let’s face, waiting around for a literary agent or publisher could mean waiting a long time. It’s no surprise that authors have many self-publishing houses to select such as CreateSpace, AuthorHouse, Balboa Press, Lulu, iUniverse, CafePress, and many others. If you specialize in Christian books, there are even Christian self-publishing houses. That’s how huge the market is. The question is, “How do you select the right self-publishing company for your books?” Keep reading to find out.

How to select a self-publishing company

1. How long has the self-publisher been in business? Make sure the self-publisher you choose has been in business for five or more years. Work with a company that knows what they’re doing. Make sure they understand the publishing industry; otherwise, you may end up with a huge inventory of books.

2. Do they have graphic design, editing, and proofreading services? Do you want to hire a graphic designer/illustrator? An editor? Proofreader? Or, would you like these professionals to be under one self-publishing house? Sometimes you’re better off hiring your own designer, editor, and proofreader; however, if you don’t want to spend time looking for them, you could use the self-publisher’s staff.

3. Do they offer ISBN registration? Most self-publishing houses offer you the opportunity to register you book. Read the print before you use their service. It costs $99 to register your book; you may want to do this.

4. What types of marketing services do they offer? You can’t get away from marketing, not even with traditional publishing. How would you rate your marketing skills? If your skills aren’t that great, it may be worthwhile to take advantage of a self-publishing company’s marketing service.

5. How professional looking are books? Some self-publishing companies turn out better looking books than traditional publishers. Remember, the pressures on you to make your book stand out from the crowd. This means your book cover must be spot on. You’ll want to have your book edited and proofread for errors. Believe it or not, some well known authors have books published (recently) with grammar and spacing errors. Yikes!

6. Ask a lot of questions. If you don’t understand something in the contract, ask about it. You may want to hire an attorney to look over the paperwork. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

7. How do you price your book? Does the self-publisher provide ‘price setting’ guidelines or do you pick a number out of the sky and hope for the best? Some self-publishing companies will provide authors with guidelines for pricing. Research the market for your particular genre and see what books are selling for. This will help you set your price.

Self-publishing your books doesn’t have to be scary. Your books can do very well if you know and understand that publishing is a business. It doesn’t matter if you self-publish or use a traditional publisher, it’s still a business. You must be prepared to advertise and market your book. If you wrote a non-fiction book, be prepared to speak about it. Inquire about radio and TV interviews (early morning shows are best). Do what you can to create a lot of ‘buzz’ around your book. You never know who’ll be listening!

Rebecca

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Select the Right Artwork for Your Book

June 6, 2011 by 2 Comments
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I always loved art; art class was one of my favorite classes. A few years ago, I pursued a graphic design certification and worked as a graphic artist. I loved it and learned a lot about design. The graphic designer in me looks book covers with an ‘eagle’ eye. In fact, the artwork can dissuade me from buying a book if it ‘freaks’ me out. That may seem odd but it’s true. For example, the cover of Tina Fey‘s book Bossypants grosses me out. When I saw it in the bookstore, I had to quickly walk away. That’s how ‘freaked out’ I was by it. I’ll probably read the book but will have to take the cover off first!

Writing your book is half the battle. The next phase is designing the book cover (interior and exterior). If you self-publish, you can work with one of their graphic designer’s or use your own. Choose a graphic designer that listens to you and understands your needs and wants. Make sure you review samples of work and ask questions such as:

1. What was your last project? What did you like about it? What didn’t you like about it?
2. What’s your favorite book project?
3. What’s your least favorite project?
4. What do you enjoy about graphic design?
5. How long will the design take?
6. Do you provide a ‘mock’ up?

You can ‘test’ out your book cover by asking for feedback from your writer’s group, family, friends, co-workers, etc. Make sure you receive ‘genuine’ feedback. You don’t want people to tell you the cover looks good when they secretly think it’s not very good. Ask for constructive and honest feedback.

I appreciate various forms of art from graffiti to paintings; from drawings to pottery; from graphic design to dance; and everything in between.

I’m glad I have a graphic design certification because I could design my own book cover, but I probably won’t. I choose to concentrate on writing. After you finish your book, step back and think about the artwork for your book. Make sure it will appeal to your target audience. It may ‘turn-off’ some of your readers but a hand full won’t make a difference. Or, like me, they can remove the book cover and read your book!

Rebecca

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