Here we are at the start of a brand new shiny year – and many people are fired up about what they can achieve over the next 12 months. If you own a business, it’s not just your personal goals, but the ones you set for the business too.
Many of the business owners and entrepreneurs I meet talk about writing a book (some of them have actually gone and done it too!). The challenge for many is that the idea of sitting down and writing 30-40,000 words is daunting. Where will you find the time for that?
My experience is that if you get your plan down on paper (or the digital equivalent), you’re on the way to success. So here are a few critical questions to answer that will get you started:
Focus
Who is the book for?
How do you know that they will be interested in it?
Where will you find groups of people who fall into the same reader-category?
What problems can you solve for them?
What do you want them to know or do when they’ve read the book?
Content
What is the book about?
What will each chapter cover?
What will the structure of a chapter be like?
What research do you need to do to write each chapter?
What material will you include? E.g. case studies, anecdotes, quotes, statistics, charts, graphics, things to do, etc.
Writing
When are you at your best to write? (early morning, after lunch, after work, in the middle of the night)
How long will each writing session last?
How many words can you typically write in that time frame?
How many writing sessions a week can you commit to?
‘Is there another way?’
Not everyone is a natural writer – and some people just can’t face sitting down and writing. If you think you have valuable knowledge you want to share, but know it’s not going to happen if you have to knuckle down and write it yourself, there are other options.
- You could dictate it to a recording device and have it transcribed.
- You could discuss the content with a professional writer who will turn it into copy.
- You could explain the concepts to a writer who will research them and develop the book for you.
Ghost writers are not just for celebrities, there are plenty of people who prefer to talk instead of write!
If you want to know more, download the Pipedream to Proposal document here.
