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The Book Coach Says: A Monthly Column of Book Marketing Advice

This month: Top Ten Tips To Get Started Writing Your Book

by Judy Cullins

1. Write your book's working title.

Knowing your book title helps you focus and answer the readers' number one question about your book’s topic. Some non-fiction needs subtitles as well. It's better to be clear than clever, but the ultimate winning combination is clear and clever. Which titles grab you? "Passion At Any Age: Twelve Ways to Unleash It," "Self-Promotion for the Creative Person." or "Quadruple your Book's Online Sales in Four Months.” Your title is the number one "Essential 7 Hot-Selling Point" of your book.

2. Write your book's thesis.

A thesis reflects the number one benefit of your book. It answers your reader's question, "How will this book solve my challenge of...?" Knowing the thesis before you write the book keeps you on track so you write focused, compelling copy that is easy to read. All chapters should support your book's thesis. For "10 Non-Techie Ways to Market your Book Online," the thesis is: "No spam ways to quadruple book sales in four months." A best title often includes your thesis.

3. Test your book's significance.

While most writers fear their book won't sell, your book is significant if it has these elements:

- It presents useful information.

- It has the potential to positively affect people's lives.

- It’s lively, humorous.

- It helps answer important reader questions.

- It creates a deeper understanding of human nature.

If your book has only two elements, it will be worth writing. With three or more, it's a potential great seller. Make your book a priority so you can express your mission helping others to a better life, and at the same time make a consistent lifelong income.

4. Pinpoint your preferred audience.

When you give your book an angle, it sells much better. No, not everyone will want to read your book. When you write for one audience at a time, each story, tip, or how-to’s pack in so much more power. Writing for the general audience is all right if you are already famous -- think of the Chicken Soup series.

Choose and post your audience's picture and profile right in front of you as you write. Remember to multiply sales exponentially, think of the small business audience on the net, ready and willing to buy either your print or eBook now. Knowing your audience before you write will make each chapter, line, or paragraph be organized, compelling and easy to read. This idea transfers well to websites, seminars, tele-classes, and e-commerce too.

Create an audience profile. How old are your prospective readers? Male? Female? Are they interested in personal growth, science fiction, mystery, how-to books? What challenges do they face? Are they business people? What magazines and websites do they like? Are they Internet savvy? What causes do they support? Will they be willing to spend $15-$30 on your book? Where will they go to buy it? (not the brick and mortar book store)

5. Know your book's 30-60 second "tell and sell" before your write it.

Like a billboard, this 2-3 sentence blurb will be so useful to you when you meet people at a networking meeting or in the elevator, and have only a few minutes to talk about your book.

Don't go on and one in generalities. Give your potential reader a reason to buy. It's the hook, not the book.

First, write down your title. Second, write down your preferred audience. Third, list your book's top three benefits. Last, compare your book with a famous author is your field. "Passion at Any Age" is the "Artists Way" for seniors or "Write your Print and eBook at the Same Time" starts where Dan Poynter left off.

Write and practice this short statement. Be willing to edit so it's laser fresh -- maybe 5-15 times. Ask your associates for feedback. Which benefits impressed them? What do they remember most from it?

6. Write down your publishing goals for this book.

Which suits your more -- self-publishing or getting a traditional publisher? Think about Print on Demand such as Deharts.com. These printer/publishers can help you at little cost, and can deliver in little time. Know the differences between them so you suit your particular purpose. Did you know you can write your print book and eBook at the same time for different audiences?

Remember that you can delegate to a book coach what you don't know about self-publishing and your cost and time will be at least half of the traditional path.

7. Organize your book files.

We waste over 150 hours a year looking for mislaid information. To get easy and fast book files retrieval:

First, create a master folder with your book's title. Inside, keep a separate file for each chapter. Name each chapter to make sense later. If you don't have a chapter title, put the topic or incident if it's fiction. Within those, put your different notes, research or resources. Title and date each file easily to find it later. Keep how to files too, such as a special report on how to format each chapter.

This system allows you to manage your multiple projects easily and compares to filing important hard files alphabetically and vertically.

You will now stop wasting time and money because unfinished projects that don't get shared, don't make you money and get your unique word out to your awaiting audience.

8. Write down your chapter's format.

Readers expect a clear map to guide them. They like consistency.

In non-fiction, each chapter should be approximately the same length and have the same sections. To make your chapters sparkle, use stories, anecdotes, headings, photos, maps, graphs, exercises, tips. Readers like easy-to-read side bars in boxes.

In fiction, gather important questions for each chapter that your audience wants answered. Include the who, what, where, when and how.

9. Write the back cover sales material before you write your book.

This "outline" helps give your book direction and helps you focus only on what's important to your readers. Your back cover has around 8-20 seconds to impress your prospective buyer. For most books, you will only have room for 50-75 words.

Include what sells: reader and famous people’s testimonials, a benefit-driven headline to hook the reader to open the book and read the table of contents, and bulleted benefits. Later, you can recreate this back cover piece into a longer sales letter for your website. Always think marketing as you write your book.

10. Mock up a front cover in your book's early stages.

Keep it by your workstation to inspire you. To sell your books, your cover and title have around four-ten seconds to sell your reader. Covers are the number one thing that sells a book. Browse the bookstores and copy a few ideas to get you started. Choose colors that suit your audience. Blue and red work for business books. Aqua, yellow, and reds work for personal growth books. Study covers on pertinent websites and at bookstores.

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Writing a book is so much easier when you approach it in small bites. Knowing these ten parts help you ask and answer the specific questions and challenges your audience wants solutions for. Then, your book has a chance to make you consistent, ongoing income.

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Judy Cullins works with small business-people who want to write a book that sells well, markets their business, and make a difference in people’s lives. Judy gives 70 programs a year and offers teleclasses and coaching on publishing, online promotion and Web copywriting. Her ten published books include Write your eBook and Print Book at the Same Time and 10 Non-techie Ways to Market your Book Online.

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Judy@bookcoaching.com