How Write a Book in 100-days or Less
Monday, October 19, 2009 at 07:03AM If you follow my tweets you already know that I'm writing my first, full-length, non-fiction book. It has an edgy title which may shock you that I can't reveal just yet. But, what I can tell you, however, is the subject of the book which is: what successful entrepreneurs know about execution and getting the right things done.
I've met many Evolving Entrepreneurs during the decade I've been in business and execution is where many of them fall short of success. Failing to execute can be caused by numerous factors including lack of desire, focus, inspiration, and a willingness to work hard to get the result. It can also be caused by fear of failure or success, or general anxiety plus hangups about money. Fortunately, there are technologies and systems that when implemented will ensure consistently high levels of motivation, inspiration, and productivity.
Writing a book has been on my to do list for a couple of years and it wasn't until three weeks ago that I was inspired to commit, take ownership and create a plan to hold myself accountable to writing everyday.
Ritual is key when writing. Each morning, without whining, I wake up between 6 and 6:30 and immediately begin writing and do not stop until I've written at least 500 words. Most other writers seem to subscribe to this same practice of writing early and first thing in the morning because the mind is still fresh and limber from lack of stimulus.
Considering that the average non-fiction book is between 20,000 and 200,000 words, I intend to make mine at least 50,000. So, if you're a math whiz you know that at my committed pace of 500-words per day that I will hit my 50,000-word target within 100-days. Could you write 500-words a day for 100-days? You know damn well you could. It's not that hard and I'm a firm believer in the theory that everyone has at least one good book in them. Now, if within the 100-days I feel strongly that the book is complete in less than 50,000 words, I will consider stopping short of my target because quantity does not necessarily mean quality.
Why am I writing a book? Definitely not to cash in. My understanding is that unless you are John Grisham, book royalties will not make you rich. What a book can do for you, however, is greatly boost your credibility and visibility within your niche which may then lead to opportunities that could make you rich. This has been the experience of my friends and comrades in entrepreneurship from the very beginning, Travis Miller and Jimmy Vee with their book Gravitational Marketing about small business marketing. This effect of writing a book is one part of my motivation. The primary reason I'm writing this book though is because I have knowledge, skills, and experiences that are unique and that can help other Evolving Entrepreneurs along their way. If you have a gift, I think it is your purpose to find a way to share it (just like I've been sharing my mind weekly on this blog).
I'm working on a unique and interactive strategy to promote my book and share its contents with as many Evolving Entrepreneurs as possible. I was inspired by Robert Kiosaki (author of the hugely successful Rich Dad, Poor Dad) and his promotional and deployment strategy for his latest book, Conspiracy of the Rich. The way I understand it, this book was written entirely online, blog-style, in real-time which allowed readers to comment on the content during the creation process.
This is how I intend to promote my book and soon, I'll be revealing the special website where you'll be able to follow along and participate in the creation as it happens in real-time. Perhaps other authors have taken this approach, but Kiosaki is the first I discovered. If you have other creative, viral book-promotion strategies to suggest, or any book publishing tips in general, I would love to hear from you. Email me at adam@evolvingentrepreneur.com.
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Reader Comments (1)
I surely pick from that a lot but I had failed to start off. I have always wanted to write a book myself but I felt the time was never there! thanks for pointing it out.