Are you put off by the prospect of writing your own book?
Maybe you’re not a writer by nature. Sure, you know what you know, and you’d love to get your wisdom out to help others (and make a tidy profit too) … but Writing??!! YOU??!!
YES, YOU! No matter how inexperienced a writer you may be, you have within you everything you need to put together a book that can make a real difference for readers … and for YOU.
We all know how having your own book sets you up to be seen as the go-to person in your area of expertise. And that translates to … greater prestige, enhanced self-confidence, heightened satisfaction … and money in your pocket!
So … let me offer you some tips on writing a book that will ease your mind.
First, let me say that I understand your resistance to writing. When you’re already up to your ears in work and responsibility, the very idea of writing a book can be enough to make you want to turn and run the other way.
Especially if writing has never been your long suit.
Meet Quentin, fine art consultant. For fifteen years he has been serving businesses and financially advantaged individuals looking to make profitable investment decisions.
Without his guidance, they would make terrible investment decisions. Because although they think they know art, their knowledge of the market tends to be spotty.
Quentin’s knowledge of art investments was top-notch, but even so, his business was just chugging along … certainly not producing the kinds of results he wanted to see.
He knew he could make a difference for a much wider range of investors than he was serving, and suspected that a book might be the perfect tool to establish him in their eyes as the expert they needed to help them make wiser choices.
For years, he’d hesitated. He wasn’t a writer! Sure, he knew art, and he knew the market. But when he sat down to write, the words seemed to straggle in one by one. He never felt adept at linking them together in a way that communicated the jaw-dropping quality of his unique investment ideas.
“I know how to make a good impression when I meet my clients in person,” Quentin confided to a friend. “But on paper? My readers would be educated people, people of discernment. I don’t want them to be alienated by the awkwardness of my writing!”
“So… you’re afraid your writing might not be of the same quality as the art you represent to your clients?” his friend asked.
“Exactly!”
And Quentin had another concern: Each of his clients had their own portfolio, a particular area of art they specialized in. “I can’t just take a cookie-cutter approach,” he said, “which is what I’m afraid a book would turn out to be.”
“In short—I just wouldn’t know where to start.”
That was Quentin’s state of mind when he found my writing site.
Does it sound familiar? Are concerns about the quality of YOUR writing stopping YOU from writing the book that will put you and your business on the map?
If so, here are some guidelines to get you started:
1. Get clear on the topic and purpose of your book, and on how it will benefit YOU and how it will benefit your readers.
2. If your clients have a variety of needs, consider whether it’s best to target them all in one book or to write for a single audience first and then repurpose your writing for the others.
3. Draw up a flexible outline. Organizing your ideas before you start writing will keep you on track and save you time and trauma on the back end. Make your outline flexible enough to allow room for creativity.
4. Start writing! You can start with chapter one, but you may find it easier to begin by writing a chapter from the middle of the book. No problem! You can come back to the beginning later.
5. Don’t stop to edit. Keep moving forward. And stay tuned to this blog to improve the quality of your writing. Don’t worry about the outcome! Just keep your energy focused, one step at a time.
6. Work with an experienced book coach. A mentor who knows the ropes can get you started, keep you on track, improve the quality of your writing on all levels, and guide you over the finish line.
Following these simple tips on writing a book will give you the momentum to get started with your writing while leaving you room to tailor your approach to fit your style and your clients’ needs.
Quentin contacted me, and we began working together on his book. In short order, he decided to put together a series of books, each addressing a different art investor market.
I showed him how he could do that easily, using the same format for each book and adapting the content to suit the needs of his different audiences.
Getting a handle on how to organize his approach to address audiences with different orientations gave Quentin the courage to launch his writing project.
He was still uncertain as to the quality of his writing, but soon the words began to flow. I pointed out the things he did well and made valuable suggestions to help him communicate the power of his insights through his writing.
For more insight into how you can improve YOUR writing, study the tips and examples in my ebook, Write The Lead Out – 7 Tips to Reader-Friendly Writing. CLICK THIS LINK: WriteYourWaytoProsperity.com/leadout .
NOTE: In over 25 years of helping people with their books, my clients have voiced the same issues time and again. Many of my blog posts are composites of their stories to assist you in the realization of YOUR dream of writing and publishing your own book(s).
Chiwah Carol Slater, MA Founder, Write Your Way to Prosperity Founder, Word Weaver 4 U WriteYourWaytoProsperity.com WordWeaver4U.comArticle Source:
Could You Use Some Dynamite Tips on Writing a Book to Fire Up Your Service Business?