Juliet LeverLately I’ve been getting a lot of questions about how to write a book!
I can really tell there are a lot of people wanting to spread their messages and writing a book is a great way to go about it.
But, it’s not for everyone.
Honestly, I am a big fan of self development, and writing a book was up there with one of the most challenging self-development practices I’ve experienced!
So, with that being said I want to share my top 5 tips for writing your own best-seller and I also explained these in this week’s episode of Relaunch My Life Radio.
1) Set yourself up to win
Be honest, do you enjoy writing?
I am a writer – I love journaling and writing my thoughts out on a daily basis.
Journaling was the first step that helped me learn how my thoughts were really creating my reality and led me down the path to study and now teach NLP, Reiki and Yoga.
So, be honest, do you realllly love writing?
If not, then you probably shouldn’t write a book. Or… you’re probably just going to get in your own way in the writing process.
In all honesty it’s true.
What you could do if you don’t love writing is transcribe your thoughts from your voice and then get an editor to help turn it into a book.
My editor Bridget was brilliant and I can highly recommend her, in fact she now has her own book writing coaching business called ‘The Book Coach’ which you can find more about here.
2) Mind Map It
If you have a dream for a book then the best tip I can give you is to create a big picture of it – a mindmap. I did this for my book both on paper or using a mind map program such as xmind (free download).
In the center of the map write the name of your book (or if you don’t know it write ‘my book’ in the center).
Then take 10-12 lines off from the cneter and write the topic names on your book, which of course can change over time.
Then for each topic add 3-4 lines for sub-topics/ideas within each section. From there, you can start to flesh out each chapter.
It’s much easier doing it this way. And you can always change sections and topics around when you need to.
3) Choose your audience
Now, this is REALLY important. You need to imagine you are writing to ONE reader. Imagine that person, what they’re going through and why they need to read your book. Consider this before you write.
4) Visualise it already completed
I personally set my book writing goal using the powerful ‘goal in future’ technique I teach in NLP and it made my goal so real I could actually touch and smell the book in my hands in the future!
So, after that technique I sat down and designed my book cover on Canva (this was my early draft – not too bad hey!)
I printed the draft out (see left) and stuck it on my fridge and at my workspace and it was a constant reminder of what was to come!
It certainly made it seem more real!
5) Set a deadline
This last one is crucial!
After about a year and a half since starting my book project, I noticed myself stalling and procrastinating about publishing my book…
So on the 5th of April I declared publicly that my book was going to be AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE on Amazon on the 25th of May 2017.
That kicked me into gear!
I had to make it happen now that I had told the world it was happening.
And, at that point I hadn’t finished my book had it properly edited or finalised my formatting design.
Trust me, sooo many people tell me they have started writing a book. But not a lot of people actually finish it. Just do it. Get it out there. It won’t be perfect, but you can always release revised editions.
So, be honest about your writing style and set yourself up to win, mind map it, choose your audience, visualise it already completed, set a deadline.
And then the most important one – START!
The only way to publish a book is to start today.
And hopefully with these five tips you’ll be well on your way.
And be sure to send me a copy once you’re published!
With love and respect,
Juliet xx
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