Getting Started in Writing A Book…
Over the past two or so years I have been fortunate to write and self-publish two books. I must admit that writing a book can be more involved than you may think.
Book 1…
The first book was called Lease Options Made Easy.
It was one that I wanted to get out and publish when I decided to become a published author in 2014. Â I had some training programs already written that were to be released at some time. Â However, I never actually released them. Â It took a few months to create about 15 different eBook / PDFs.
When I decided in mid-2014 that I wanted to become an author I was ecstatic. Â Thus, I began along the road that so many people consider throughout their lives. Â I had a message to get out and this is what I wanted to release.
My Real Estate Experience
At that time in my life I was a real estate investor specializing in rent to own homes, also called lease options. Â I was also a NV Realtor at that time and most of the clients I attracted were the ones seeking a lease to buy. Â I thought this would be a great time to release a book on the subject.
Plus, I had always felt that if I put out a book that would give me some increased credibility. Â Thus, began the process of writing.
I decided to be a little different, as I have usually been in my life. Â I decided to make this book an educational book yet also a narrative with five main characters, namely Peggy and Roger who were wanting to buy a home via a lease option.
Their journey was to go through the path of having no knowledge what a lease option was to actually becoming quite versed in the subject which the reader would also learn along the way.
Book 2
After the book was released in January 2015 I started to discover a few flaws in the book.
I then decided to do a second book on something new I was passionate about. Â That was personal development. Â Somehow a book writing coach and author came across my attention. Â To this day I still have no idea how our paths crossed. Â I was living in Las Vegas, NV and he lived in Hawaii.
I hired him right away and I discovered so much I didn’t know about writing and getting published. Â After the release of my second book, Designing Your Own Destiny I decided to go a different route and have help along the way. Â And I am glad that happened.
I learned a lot about how chapters should be set up. Â I learned about putting relevant stories and so much more. Â This time I hired other people to help me.
Purpose…
That brings us to the purpose of this blog. Â I discovered that when I wrote my first book I did very little preparation for writing the book. Â I knew what I wanted to write about and just started doing it, learning as I went along.
Here are the 3 steps for writing a book. Â This is much like how a film is put together before going onto the big screen. Â The parallels are quite similar.
Comparison to Film
In film you have three stages of film making.
- Pre-Production – This is where casting is done and contracts signed. Â Sets are built. Â Locations are scouted. Â Crew is hired. Â Extras are hired. Â Everything that happens BEFORE the first shot is taken.
- Production – This is the part most non-film makers think about. Â This is when all of the shots are done and each step in the making of the film is accomplished.
- Post-Production – This is the part that is done after the film wraps. Â Editing and computer graphics are added. Â Sound and other sound effects are added. Â Creation of the final product. Trailers are created. Â The film goes onto the screen for you to see. Â Then DVDs and other releases are done.
For Your Book
The same is seen, in my opinion, in writing a book. Â Many people skip many of these steps, especially if first time self-published writers.
- Pre-Writing Phase – this is all of the prep work and hiring or planning to hire the people to assist you with your book.
- Writing Phase – This is the area of writing the book, getting it professionally edited, graphics, and formatting done.
- Post-Writing Phase – Launches, picking the platforms for your book. Â The purpose what to do to promote yourself afterwards.
Each of these stages are very important. Â There is no skipping a step. Â Without one is the same as putting a movie together without hiring the director. Â It can end up in sheer chaos especially if someone tries to do it all on their own.
More to come in upcoming editions.
Get Your Copy of How to Become a Self-Published Author
To order your copy of this program go to our store now.
