Every solopreneur has a story hidden within. It may be the story of their struggle to launch into solopreneurism, or perhaps a plan to help others do the same by learning from their mistakes. If you have ever thought about writing a book for your business, the task can seem overwhelming. But, with some guidelines to help you begin and stay focused, you can produce a quality piece of work that adds value to others and can significantly raise your business reputation. Ready to begin? Let’s go!
Start Writing
The best overall piece of advice most every successful writer will share is to start writing. Although hundreds of thousands of books are produced every year, there are many more that stay unwritten. Excuses and obligations come between us and our goal and fragments of book notes get lost in the shuffle. Doubts about our own abilities assail us and we quit before we actually begin. The secret to writing a book is having a process and trusting it enough to follow it to the end.
Choose a Topic
If writing a book for your business as a solopreneur, you will want to choose a topic that resonates with you as well as with your target audience. A book that scratches where others have an itch will catch on and be imminently useful to a wide audience. Such a work will establish you as an authority on your chosen topic and drive consumers to your business.
Construct a Basic Outline
From the explanatory paragraph you wrote above, establish a basic one-page outline. Every story must go somewhere. If you aim at nothing you are guaranteed to hit it every time. If your topic is related to business, most likely it will require a systematic explanation that is easy for readers to follow. This is where an outline is crucial.
Go Where the Story Takes You
Writing is a fluid process. As you research, plan, and put your ideas on paper (or a screen), the story may lead you into unexpected areas. Something you had not previously considered may be required for complete understanding. Whatever you discover in the process of writing, write about it. Be sure it is connected to the overall story and helps tell it; if you have any inkling that it could help tell your story, follow the path and write about it.
Have a Plan for Writing
It’s vital to have a structured plan for writing, and even more vital to stick to it. Writing when the ‘muse’ is on you, or in your spare time on weekends, only leads to unfinished works and ‘if only’ recriminations. Here’s a suggested writing plan:
The Importance of an Editor
Don’t skip this step. Every business engaged in publishing content should be concerned with the impact of their communications. That certainly includes a book you write as a solopreneur that promotes your expertise. Your writing often forms a first impression for your audience, and you only get one chance to make that pivotal first impression. Don’t leave it to chance. A professional editor can work with you to make your story more compelling and clear. They can help with such things as pacing, structure, and basic copyediting to produce your absolute best work.
Get It Out There!
Release your book to the world! Send query letters or copies to prospective publishers, self-publish on Amazon, produce an eBook and make it available on your website, or whatever your chosen venue. But get it out to the reading public and give it a chance to make an impact.
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Its amazing we live in a world where anyone can get their content out to the public. I’ve never considered writing a book of any kind but after reading your article, I feel a but more inspired. Do you have any comments on how long the book should be as an average?
Hi JD!
I can’t really say; It depends on your subject. For example my friend Lisa Sicard’s book is 31 pages and to the point. Ryan Biddulph’s books are 30-50 pages. So I’d start with 30-50 page book for start and then see how it goes.
Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to ask anything you want!
Marios
Writing a book is one of my bucketlist items for the future but I didn’t know how to start it. It can be a frustrating process.
This article has been a good jumpstart for anyone who is curious about writing a book. It’s actually all about following the flow, but in a more disciplined way. Can you offer me some good reads about writing a book??
Hi Tyler,
There are many articles you can read about writing a book. I plan to republish some of them on this blog.
This is an article you should start with. I’d also suggest Lisa Sicard’s guest post on What not to do when publishing your ebook. She gives some insights as well as links to other posts.
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Tyler,
You can also check Start Here: How to Self-Publish Your Book
It is a great post to get you started 🙂
Marios
Thank you, Mario, for your article on how to get started writing a book, I must say it was very relevant, that I ran across your blog, as I have wanted to write a book for many years now. My thought’s of an Auto-Biography has alway’s been of interest, I really appreciate your topic’s that you illustrated very well, and definitely engaged in the reading. For a potentially new author that would stay engaged as you recommended, about how long do you think it would take to write a 150-page book, keep up the great post’s, sincerely, Jack
Jack,
I’m glad i have inspired you to write your book. Writing and self-publishing a book is easier than ever nowadays. It just needs work – and be aware of the right tools to use. Which is what me and my blog are here for 🙂
Thanks for the kind words. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Marios
Marios, this is well written mainly common sense but a need to be said article. You are right, there is a book in all of us, we just need a kick inn the pants like this to get started rather than putting it in the “too hard basket. ”
You made some very good points such as advising your readers to specifically choose something they are passionate about and which will also meet the needs of their target audience
The other one I thought was really pertinent was :
the need to have a plan. The old saying ” if you fail to plan, you plan to fail is true.
Then you finished by encouraging us to get started. .
Great work
Thank you
Hi Judy!
It is true, that failing to plan means planning to fail. I think I will write a post on how to plan to write your book.
And then how to publish it 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the insight 🙂
Marios
Hi Marios,
I’ve written a book, but also write blogs. I do believe that the more you write, the better you become at it. Once we have a basic outline I like to go where the story takes me. For me, an outline is important because I tend to go way off base once I start writing lol.
Great stuff!
-Donna
Hi Donna,
True that, the more you practice writing, the better it gets. As with everything in life 🙂
I am more interested in non-fiction than fiction books, but this strategy works for everyone.
What do you write?
Thanks for stopping by!
Marios
Marios, I love starting with an outline. Then I can easily attack the writing. I’ve been pondering doing another eBook and this one might just inspire me to start – thank you!
I also love writing in chapters, it makes it easier and doesn’t seem like such a daunting task.
Lisa,
It is true that If you have a structure of what you want to write and divide it in chapters, it is much easier to tackle it.
I think that you are more of an expert than I am on this 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
Marios
All the best advice I’ve ever heard, you have covered. The best way to start is to start. Get a blank page and fill it up even if you keep writing, “I’m blocked”
Stephen King in his book, ” On Writing” said the same as you, “Have a plan and stick to it” Anything else is just fooling yourself. He emphasized that over and over.
He also advised ( for the long run ) to read everything you can get your hands on. Great post.
Hi John
Thanks for your kind words. Having a plan and sticking to it, no matter what, is a great advice.
Thanks for stopping by
Mairos
Honestly, I don’t know what to say. this is really good.
when i started new as a writer, it wasn’t easy for me because i wasn’t following a particular step. I developed my book title using what i have written. but your post has presented another means that look great.
so, creating title name can aid creating it’s content. Wow, good.
thanks very much Dear for this!
Hey Bibian,
It is true that the title can define the contents. Especially with non-fiction books
Thanks for your kind words, and for stopping by!
Marios