Now, every personal brand entrepreneur has heard this at some point: a book is the best business card you can give out! And it’s true!
So, if you fancy a piece of the book pie and as a direct result, establishing yourself as an industry expert pretty much the day it’s published. Here’s a crazy simple process to follow tofigure our how to write your first book:
1. Define your audience.
As with any endeavor you pursue as a personal brand entrepreneur, you must begin by identifying your audience. Who are you writing for? Why do they need your book? What do you want them to learn or act on once they finish?
2. Define your purpose.
Why are you writing a book? Sounds like an obvious question, but I assure you that it’s not. You must know the purpose behind your book and the effort of writing it before you begin. You need an inner reason.
3. Draft an outline.
An outline is basically your future book’s table of contents, with a few bullet points under each “chapter heading” to help you make sense of how your book is unfolding from beginning to end. It’s a great way to get a bird’s eye view of your book.
4. Flesh out the bullet points.
Add more detail to the bullet points in your table of contents. Go a little deeper in your thinking, draw some conclusions, and move things around as it makes sense to do so. You’ll find that you DO have an intuitive sense of your argument, even if you don’t consider yourself a writer.
5. Turn those bullet points into sentences and paragraphs.
This is the step where you essentially trick yourself into writing a book. It’s where your bullet points become sentences and paragraphs and individual essays, and where, before too long, you have an actual rough draft down on paper (or screen, as the case may be).
6. Edit for overall message and clarity.
Read through your manuscript with an eye to how it sounds as a complete document. Does it make sense? Are there any gaps in logic? Do you “prove” your argument?
7. Get a fresh perspective.
Whether you hire an editor or engage a few beta readers from your network or community, you absolutely must get a fresh pair of eyes on your book right about now. By this stage, you’ll be too close to the manuscript to see it objectively anymore!
8. Writing is rewriting.
There will be lots to do with the feedback you receive from your editor and/or beta readers. Be prepared for a revision process that takes as long or longer than the actual writing. However, this is a good thing and it’ll end up with you having the BEST possible version of your book entering the world!
See what I mean here, guys? You’re just 8 steps away from writing your first book!
Okay, maybe that’s oversimplifying it a bit, but I want you to know that you CAN do this, and you can do it well. This is the process that best-selling authors follow, including me and it’s the one YOU can follow as well.
And when you’re done… be sure to send me a signed copy, will you? 🙂
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