We\u2019re nearly two months into the New Year. Remember those resolutions or promises you made January 1? How are you doing toward those goals? Have you started that book? Have you resumed work on a book project that you set aside months or years ago? Or are you still just thinking about it?<\/p>\n
Perhaps you feel overwhelmed by the task at hand. That\u2019s why you made it a resolution or a plan for the New Year. You thought that if you promised yourself you would do it, you would find a way. But you still have to take that first step.<\/p>\n
Stop looking at the project as a whole. Once you are sure this is what you want to do\u2014that this is a good idea, break it down into manageable tasks. How do you know it is a good idea? Ask yourself the following questions:<\/p>\n
1: Why do I want to write this book?<\/strong> Is your reason valid or frivolous? Frivolous reasons might be, \u201cTo get rich.\u201d Or \u201cTo show so and so that I can do it.\u201d Or \u201cTo change the thinking of all Americans.\u201d Or \u201cTo tell my story, which will make me feel better.\u201d Valid reason might be, \u201cBecause I believe I have something of value to offer a segment of people.\u201d Or \u201cI am passionate about this book, have thought it through and know it is a worthwhile project.\u201d Make sure your reason for writing this book is valid.<\/p>\n 2: What is the purpose of my proposed book?<\/strong> If it is to inform, entertain, educate and\/or potentially help a niche group of people, it is probably a valid project. If it is to make you look good or to further your career, think again. Sure, you might gain added credibility in your field as a result of writing this book. And you might get an invitation to speak at a noted conference or convention as the author of this book. But these purposes should be secondary to your main purpose for producing this book\u2014which should be to give something of value to a segment of people\u2014your potential readers.<\/p>\n 3: Who is the audience for this book?<\/strong> Be realistic here\u2014determine who will actually want to read this book, not who should read it. Understand that to say, \u201cThis book is for everyone\u2014everyone will be interested in reading it,\u201d is unrealistic.<\/p>\n Once you have established the validity of your book project or you have changed the focus of your book to more closely fit in with what your proposed audience wants, what\u2019s next? What is your next step?<\/p>\n 1: Outline all of the tasks involved with writing this book\u2014the research, the interviews, writing. Add in the following: <\/p>\n \u2022\tStudy the publishing industry. 2: Draw up a schedule for accomplishing these items. If you work better under pressure, lay it on yourself\u2014make the schedule tight and make a strong commitment. If you are trying to fit this project into an already busy schedule, give yourself more time to complete each phase of the project. You may have to reevaluate your progress from time to time and readjust your schedule. This is not failure\u2014this is reality and you need a good dose of reality in order to complete your project.<\/p>\n Note: In order to devote time to your book project, you may be required to eliminate things from your schedule, like TV-watching, clubbing, obsessing with your fitness routine, etc.<\/p>\n I\u2019m going to leave you with these thoughts and assignments today. Tomorrow, I will be back with more concrete tasks and the reasons behind them. You won\u2019t want to miss the second part of this important blog post. In fact, I advise printing this out and studying it so you will be more well-prepared for tomorrow\u2019s valuable message.<\/p>\n To be continued February 28, 2012<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We\u2019re nearly two months into the New Year. Remember those resolutions or promises you made January 1? How are you doing toward those goals? Have you started that book? Have you resumed work on a book project that you set aside months or years ago? Or are you still just thinking about it? Perhaps you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\u2022\tWrite a book proposal.<\/p>\n