I get that question sometimes and am always at a loss for a succinct answer. I\u2019ve written a lot of books of all types in all sizes and they all take different lengths of time to complete. It also depends on what else is going on in my life during the time I\u2019m working on a book.<\/p>\n
It took me five years to write the Ojai history book back in the early 80s. That includes the research period, writing, self-editing\u2026And I wrote that book on a typewriter. When I decided to revise and reprint it, we had to type the original into the computer.<\/p>\n
I just finished all but the fine-tuning of a 90,000-word book for a publisher this week. This book took me two months to write.<\/p>\n
People ask me how I\u2019ve had time to write 45 books over the past 40 years. What they don\u2019t seem to realize is that writing is all I do. I don\u2019t come home from work and write for a few hours or write when I feel the inspiration. My work is my writing and my writing is my work and has been for all of these years.<\/p>\n
But there was a time when I had a real job outside the home. I wrote a book in 8 months while working full-time. How? I got up every morning at 4 and wrote for two hours before work. I also wrote on weekends.<\/p>\n
How long does it take you to complete a writing assignment? Are you working on a book? How much time do you spend every day or week? How\u2019s it going for you?<\/p>\n
What I find amusing and a little sad is that most authors spend months or years writing their books. When they finish, they are so eager to see it in print that they rush blindly into publishing without shifting gears. Now they\u2019re in a big hurry to get the book published and most of them make some costly mistakes.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re writing a book\u2014fiction or nonfiction\u2014I suggest that you write a book proposal early on. You may or may not end up sending it to a publisher. It doesn\u2019t matter. What does matter is that you\u2014the author\u2014develop a business plan. As the CEO of your book, it is your responsibility to prepare yourself to make a smooth transition from the creativity of writing your book to the business of publishing it.<\/p>\n
Publishing is not an extension of your writing. It takes a very different mindset and skills. The best way to prepare for the transition from writer to successful published author is to:<\/p>\n
And take it easy. Don\u2019t rush into something you know little about. The first item that appears during an Internet search for publishers is not necessarily the best option for you and for your project. You\u2019ll likely experience greater success if you follow this timeline:<\/p>\n
I get that question sometimes and am always at a loss for a succinct answer. I\u2019ve written a lot of books of all types in all sizes and they all take different lengths of time to complete. It also depends on what else is going on in my life during the time I\u2019m working on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16],"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