How to Write a Book

One of the most common questions I get is, "How do I write a book?"

I suppose one could be facetious and answer, "With a computer." Or even better, "With a pen, or pencil, or paint, or whatever."

The truth is, it isn't the writing part that's difficult, it's the starting. People have all kinds of preconceived ideas about writing that just aren't true. Like, you have to be perfect the first time, you have to know how to write, you have to have long years of training, you've enver written a word, etc.

Writing a book is like any other job you do. You start with the first word and keep adding words, preferably in some kind of order. You add stories, you add lessons, you add information, you pull it all together, you tell people what you want them to do.

Having said all that, here are the basic steps you take to write your book:

• Choose a topic
• Narrow your topic
• Divide your topic into five to 15 areas (these become your chapters)
• Decide what to cover in each area
• Choose the examples that illustrate your information
• Choose the stories to illuminate your examples
• Write an introduction that outlines what you want the reader to get
• Write each chapter, one by one, until you have a first draft

If you want to get more detailed information on the writing process, check out my Solutions Press Protege Program at www.leepound.com/protegeprogram.htm.

Meanwhile, take a stab at writing your book. Good luck!

Is My Book Good Enough?

People keep asking me whether their book is written well enough for publication.

This is a difficult question to answer. In my experience only a professional editor or publisher can tell you when your book is ready. Many details that the average writer knows nothing about will affect readiness. These include:

• Overly wordy copy
• Rhythm of the sentences
• Clarity of sentences and paragraphs
• Originality of material presented
• Presence of the author in the writing (do you get the sense that an individual actually wrote this?)
• Overuse of adjectives and adverbs
• Purple prose
• Use of powerful verbs and nouns
• Repetitiveness

These items can affect the readability of the book's content more than the facts presented. If the prose is awkward, your reader will notice the writing, not the information you present. This you don't want.

Watch here for more on these items.

I'm giving my "Write Your Book" talk at Speak Your Way to Wealth

It's become more important than ever for people in business (like professionals, coaches, consultants, etc.) to write books and articles as a way to stand out from the crowd.

Unfortunately, most people think writing a book is too hard or takes too long. So I've decided to emphasize how you can write and publish your book for a reasonable amount of money in a reasonable amount of time in speech this year at the Speak Your Way to Wealth seminar.

In case you haven't heard of it, you can get all the details on Speak Your Way to Wealth (I put it on with my business partner Arvee Robinson) at http://www.speakyourwaytowealth.com/. It's August 22-24 in Manhattan Beach, California. Check out the videos on the left side of this blog for more information.

I just published a book for one of my clients, Tom Northup, which you should check out on Amazon.com. It is called Five Hidden Mistakes CEOs Make and it is already bringing him new business.