Writing a Book - What is Keeping You From Doing It? | Warrior Forum - The #1 Digital Marketing Forum & Marketplace

14 years ago

I have been tossing that idea around for a while. Just don't know where to start, though.

It seems like a great idea but other than the "Amazon" system you spoke about, I just don't know too much about how it all works.

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David Hooper 14 years ago

Originally Posted by Deezy

I have been tossing that idea around for a while. Just don't know where to start, though.

Do you need help with topic selection or is there another issue you're stuck on?
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CDarklock

14 years ago

Originally Posted by David Hooper

Have you thought about writing a book, but not gotten around to it? If so, what's stopping you?

Just don't feel like the time is right yet. There will be a day that I say "I am going to publish a book now," and that day is not today.

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Dennis Gaskill

14 years ago

I've had three books published by a real publisher. My fourth book will be self-published through Amazon. I think the route you take, in part, depends on your objective for having a published book.

Here's the first tip I'll contribute to this thread: Don't write a whole book and then go looking for a traditional publisher. That could be a big waste of time. Instead, write the Table of Contents, a synopsis, a sample chapter, and then go looking for a literary agent.

Literary agents act as screeners for the big publishers. Getting an unsolicited manuscript published without an agent is almost unheard of these days if you haven't already made something of a name for yourself.

A literary agent will also help you in many other ways. For example, they'll tell you what the publisher expects from you. Did you know many, if not most publishers, expect you to submit a plan detailing how you plan to promote the book and create buzz?

So if you have to do the promoting, maybe the self-publishing via Amazon route looks a little better. You'll certainly make more money per book that way. The question is, can you sell more books that way? That depends on you, and how much the publisher does on your behalf, and that can vary a lot.

My 2 cents.

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David Bynon

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill

I've had three books published by a real publisher. My fourth book will be self-published through Amazon. I think the route you take, in part, depends on your objective for having a published book.

Here's the first tip I'll contribute to this thread: Don't write a whole book and then go looking for a traditional publisher. That could be a big waste of time. Instead, write the Table of Contents, a synopsis, a sample chapter, and then go looking for a literary agent.

Dennis,

I agree with you 100% on your first tip. I have five books published through a traditional publisher and an ebook that I self published. The book I'm working on now I will self-publish through Amazon.

If you go through a traditional publisher and have a reputation for writing home runs, you can do as I did with my last three books and ask for an advance against royalties.

The problem with traditional publishers is they take forever and royalties are generally less than 20%. However, if they promote your book properly that can be excellent money. Just be prepared to wait, and wait, and...

David

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Dennis Gaskill

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Calamaroo

I'm currently writing 5 books simultaneously and not getting anything done. I have a hard time motivating myself with zero short term feedback. On the other hand, if you count all of the posts that I make in poker and boxing forums, I probably have 10 books worth of posts in the past 4 months.

Anyone out there have a solution for me?

You need to set your priorities. Right now spending time in the poker and boxing forums is more important to you than finishing your books. When you change your priorities, you'll change your life.

Originally Posted by David Bynon

Dennis,

I agree with you 100% on your first tip. I have five books published through a traditional publisher and an ebook that I self published. The book I'm working on now I will self-publish through Amazon.

If you go through a traditional publisher and have a reputation for writing home runs, you can do as I did with my last three books and ask for an advance against royalties.

The problem with traditional publishers is they take forever and royalties are generally less than 20%. However, if they promote your book properly that can be excellent money. Just be prepared to wait, and wait, and...

David

David, just to clarify in case anyone misunderstood, you can publish print books through Amazon's CreateSpace.

I've received small advances (just a few thousand dollars), and you're right, it's a long wait between royalty checks (6 months for me). People shouldn't think they're going to get anywhere near 20% royalties as a first time author unless you have a great agent. I got 10% on my first book, and that was double what most get (at the time, anyway).

You already know this, but for the benefit of others . . . many aspiring authors think the royalty percentage is on the retail price of the book. It's not, it's on the wholesale price. Wholesale prices can run from 40% to 55% less than the retail price. So let's say your book sells for 19.95. If the wholesale price is half of that, that's $9.975 per book. If you get a 10% royalty, which is very respectable for a first time author, then you'd earn just under $1.00 per book sold.

It's not the get rich quick ticket a lot of people think it is. Of course, that won't stop them from dreaming that their book will be a best seller and put millions into their bank account.

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Ron Douglas

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill

You already know this, but for the benefit of others . . . many aspiring authors think the royalty percentage is on the retail price of the book. It's not, it's on the wholesale price. Wholesale prices can run from 40% to 55% less than the retail price. So let's say your book sells for 19.95. If the wholesale price is half of that, that's $9.975 per book. If you get a 10% royalty, which is very respectable for a first time author, then you'd earn just under $1.00 per book sold.

My book deal actually does calculate royalties off of the retail price. It's all based on the policy of the publisher you sign with.

It's not the get rich quick ticket a lot of people think it is. Of course, that won't stop them from dreaming that their book will be a best seller and put millions into their bank account.

I must have gotten really lucky

.

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Dennis Gaskill

14 years ago

Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe

David, Dennis, or anyone else for that matter...

I have a little different challenge. I can get started just fine. My problem is knowing where to stop.

I have several outlines going. The problem is, I keep looking at them and thinking, "this would be even better if I added this", or "If I tell them to do that, I should explain how to do that", or...

How do you decide the outline is complete? I'm up for writing a book, but I don't want to do another encyclopedia.

Hi John - Your problem is probably the opposite of what most people experience. A person can probably find ways to improve their book indefinitely. There is however, a point of diminishing returns. That is, the improvements you make are not worth the time it takes to find and make them and the delay in calling it finished and getting it on the market.

You can always write a second edition to include improvements. At some point you just have to tell yourself it doesn't have to be perfect, it only has to be good. It can never be perfect anyway, the important thing, for you at this point, I would say is to just finish one book.

If your books are non-fiction, you could also view the TOC's of several books in your genre to see how complete they are. Match them, or exceed them a little bit, but draw your line in the sand and stick to it.

Originally Posted by Ron Douglas

My book deal actually does calculate royalties off of the retail price. It's all based on the policy of the publisher you sign with.

Hi Ron - Thanks for the correction. Care to share what your royalty percentage is? Twenty percent of wholesale or ten percent of retail come out to about the same thing.

I must have gotten really lucky. [on getting rich from it]

Maybe you did get lucky . . . or you worked harder or smarter at marketing it. Weren't you on TV? That's the kind of publicity most authors never get, especially first time authors. I would assume that can make a huge difference in sales.

At any rate, I'm happy for your success. It can happen, but cases like that are few and far between. I don't think you're implying that kind of success is probable. Possible, yes, but probable, no.

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Paul Myers 14 years ago

For the folks who don't think they can do it, let me tell you a little story.

Way back when I first got into writing online, my Dad and I got talking about the online thing. He asked what I was doing, and I told him I was writing an article for a website. He asked, "What do you know about writing articles?" I replied with something like, "It's just explaining how to do something. Only you type instead of talking."

He nodded and we went back to watching the game.

A while later, he asked how it was going. I told him I was writing a book. He asked what I knew about writing books, and I said, "A book is just a bunch of articles called chapters." He nodded again. These days, it's not unusual for my Dad to ask things like, "Write any good books lately?"

Dennis' outlining method is great. I'd suggest doing one thing before that: Be very clear on what you want your readers to get from the book before you begin writing it.

I'm doing a series of articles now for my newsletter that were inspired by a subscriber's question: "How do you create an effective follow-up autoresponder sequence?" Having done a ton of them over the years, I knew the process. The goal is simple: Once they've read it, they should be able to create an FUA series that motivates people to take action.

If you focus on the result you want your reader to be able to create, you'll find it much easier to create that outline. And you'll have the answer to John's question: "How do you decide the outline is complete?"

When you've told them what they need to know to do what they want to do.

Doing the sales copy first is something I've been telling people for years. That's especially useful for focusing on the end result, which may be even more beneficial than the enthusiasm you have for a new idea.

Paul
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- Richard E 14 years ago
  
  Let me add my 2 cents here. I am in the process of writing my first book which is about helping financial advisors get their marketing acts together.
  
  I written 50 of 57 chapters. Last 7 or so just have chicken scratch notes.
  
  Here's my approach:
  1. Mindmap the book.
  2. Convert mindmap into regular outline in Word or Pages.
  3. Start blog for book. This may be a category on your regular blog.
  4. Start blogging using the outline as your idea jogger.
  5. After 6 months or so, copy blog posts into book document. I had 15k words at this point for my book. A BIG motivator at this point!
  6. Now write chapters one at a time in the book.
  7. Copy chapters into blog.
  8. Keep doing #6 and 7 until book is done.
  
  Keep at it until the book is done.
  Remember Fred Gleeck's slogan: "Better done than perfect!"
  
  ~Richard
  
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EthanDenney 14 years ago

Thanks Dennis for tip!

Wow, lots of great value in this thread. Thanks David for getting it rolling.

Cheers,
Ethan
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brieat

14 years ago

Truth be told, I'm lazy. But I picked up a new daily habit of writing 5 pages a day, that's 150 a month! Good habit I say rather then watching TV. (which I haven't watched in 5 years)

I find doing things in small chunks help with burn outs, same goes for exercise, I only do 45-60 hours of exercise a day, anymore then that it's an over load.

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Dennis Gaskill

14 years ago

Originally Posted by brieat

I find doing things in small chunks help with burn outs, same goes for exercise, I only do 45-60 hours of exercise a day, anymore then that it's an over load.

I wish I could squeeze that many hours into one day.

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Calamaroo

14 years ago

I'm currently writing 5 books simultaneously and not getting anything done. I have a hard time motivating myself with zero short term feedback. On the other hand, if you count all of the posts that I make in poker and boxing forums, I probably have 10 books worth of posts in the past 4 months.

Anyone out there have a solution for me?

Thanks
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David Hooper

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Calamaroo

I'm currently writing 5 books simultaneously and not getting anything done. I have a hard time motivating myself with zero short term feedback. On the other hand, if you count all of the posts that I make in poker and boxing forums, I probably have 10 books worth of posts in the past 4 months.

Anyone out there have a solution for me?

I'd say to finish them up, one at a time, so you can get the feedback you're looking for and start getting money coming in as soon as possible.

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Calamaroo 14 years ago

Originally Posted by David Hooper

I'd say to finish them up, one at a time, so you can get the feedback you're looking for and start getting money coming in as soon as possible.

I hope I don't have ADD. I can't play less than 8 tables without falling asleep if I'm playing poker on line.
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ozduc

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Calamaroo

I'm currently writing 5 books simultaneously and not getting anything done. I have a hard time motivating myself with zero short term feedback. On the other hand, if you count all of the posts that I make in poker and boxing forums, I probably have 10 books worth of posts in the past 4 months.

Anyone out there have a solution for me?

Take all the posts you have made and sort them into categories/chapters and put at least one book together.

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Calamaroo 14 years ago

Originally Posted by ozduc

Take all the posts you have made and sort them into categories/chapters and put at least one book together.

Good idea.

I'm not writing a boxing book, though. Yet 60% of my posts are boxing related.

But, yeah, I could probably incorporate some of my poker posts into one of the two poker books that I am writing.
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Nightengale

14 years ago

FIVE books at one time???? Good grief!

Have you ever even written ONE book before???

You want advice? FOCUS! Focus on finishing just one book and then go on to the next one, and so on. You may have chosen a focus and title for each book and then written the Table of Contents (the outline) for the book, but once you've done that, focus on finishing one book at a time.

I'm currently finishing my first book and can't imagine trying to write more than one at a time. If you ARE able to write more than one at a time, I imagine it would be after you have a few books under your belt.

Focus is a huge part of IMer's problems. There is so much to learn and so many great ideas out there that it can become hard to choose a focus and settle in and stick with it long enough to make some money. It sounds to me like that's the problem you've got right now with your books.

Michelle

Originally Posted by Calamaroo

I'm currently writing 5 books simultaneously and not getting anything done. I have a hard time motivating myself with zero short term feedback. On the other hand, if you count all of the posts that I make in poker and boxing forums, I probably have 10 books worth of posts in the past 4 months.

Anyone out there have a solution for me?

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lingmag

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Calamaroo

I'm currently writing 5 books simultaneously and not getting anything done. I have a hard time motivating myself with zero short term feedback. On the other hand, if you count all of the posts that I make in poker and boxing forums, I probably have 10 books worth of posts in the past 4 months.

Anyone out there have a solution for me?

Either write out your WHY or revisit it if you've already written it. Why do you want to write a book/these books? Go beyond the money. Your WHY has to be bigger than the obstacles. Your WHY is your feedback when you can't get it from anywhere else.

Pick 1 book to work on and put the others away until you finish one.

Or: Ask yourself if you are truly passionate about the topics of your books. If they can't hold your interest, you probably should be writing about something else, if at all.

Write about poker and/or boxing.

People do what they want to do; not what they need to do.

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David Hooper

14 years ago

Originally Posted by brieat

Truth be told, I'm lazy. But I picked up a new daily habit of writing 5 pages a day, that's 150 a month! Good habit I say rather then watching TV. (which I haven't watched in 5 years)

That's impressive! Are you working from an outline?

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Grace26 14 years ago

Wow! do you really workout these many hours per day? I wish I could do the same.
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- Grace26 14 years ago
  
  Sorry for my comment on 'working for long hours', it was meant for another thread not here.
  
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1960Texan

14 years ago

Originally Posted by David Hooper

Have you thought about writing a book, but not gotten around to it? If so, what's stopping you?

A small house and my wife's penchant for loud, badly written television programs. That's an excuse, I know, so I'm in the process of converting a small space in our (mercifully) detached garage to an office.

Will

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USGTMauthor

14 years ago

I have written three ebooks about 10-15 pages. The first two came quickly the last one I worked on while on airplanes for over a year. I finally forced myself to sit down and finish it and stop trying to make it perfect. It is my best selling one to date. However, I think I would have a hard time writing a whole book. Partly because many of the book I see have tons of filler and I gravitate toward simplicity.

I have realized that I now consider myself an author who sells on the internet as opposed to an internet marketer. For me it is a difference. Ebook selling has made me more than adsense and other forms of monetization. While I would still like to make money that way, so far selling ebooks has worked better.

Keep a notebook handy and try to write something everyday, before you know it you will have new content. It may not be a book, but it may be an ebook, article, blog post or something you can use somewhere.

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Dennis Gaskill

14 years ago

Originally Posted by USGTMauthor

However, I think I would have a hard time writing a whole book. Partly because many of the book I see have tons of filler and I gravitate toward simplicity.

Writing a full-sized book is really no different than writing 10-15 ebooks like you described. Instead of one ebook at a time, it's one chapter at a time. Not much different, it just takes longer because it encompasses more.

As for filler, the quality is totally up to you. I would point out though, that what seems filler to you might not to someone else. One man's trash is another man's treasure.

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MattSteel 14 years ago

Where do you get the templates? How do you know the legalities of selling your book? I have heard the template has to have you name somewhere hidden inside. Is that true?
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PaulaC

14 years ago

I just wonder why you would bother writing a 300 page 'real' book and get $10 or $20 from it when you can write a 50 page ebook and get $37 or $67 or even $97 from it?

Although I have to agree, it is a good way of building up credibility.

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Dennis Gaskill

14 years ago

Originally Posted by PaulaC

I just wonder why you would bother writing a 300 page 'real' book and get $10 or $20 from it when you can write a 50 page ebook and get $37 or $67 or even $97 from it?

Although I have to agree, it is a good way of building up credibility.

Paula,

There could be a lot of good reasons. Here are just a few:

1. You reach a different market segment. Not everyone is online, and not everyone that is buys ebooks. I do, but I much prefer holding a real book in my hands.

2. Job opportunities. Saying you're a published author and having a print book to prove it carries more weight than saying you're a published ebook author.

3. It opens doors that might not otherwise be open. For example, if two people are vying for a web design job or a marketing consulting job (or whatever) and all else is more or less even, the designer or consultant with a book to his credit will probably win the job.

4. Vanity.

5. Well, nevermind about number 5, this idea is too good to give away. I'm going to make a product around it.

Anyway, there are a lot of reasons for it. Money is a good reason to go the ebook route though, that's why I write a lot more ebooks than print books.

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PaulaC

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill

Paula,

There could be a lot of good reasons. Here are just a few:

1. You reach a different market segment. Not everyone is online, and not everyone that is buys ebooks. I do, but I much prefer holding a real book in my hands.

2. Job opportunities. Saying you're a published author and having a print book to prove it carries more weight than saying you're a published ebook author.

3. It opens doors that might not otherwise be open. For example, if two people are vying for a web design job or a marketing consulting job (or whatever) and all else is more or less even, the designer or consultant with a book to his credit will probably win the job.

4. Vanity.

5. Well, nevermind about number 5, this idea is too good to give away. I'm going to make a product around it.

Anyway, there are a lot of reasons for it. Money is a good reason to go the ebook route though, that's why I write a lot more ebooks than print books.

LOL - I like number 4.

Good points Dennis.

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CDarklock

14 years ago

Originally Posted by PaulaC

I just wonder why you would bother writing a 300 page 'real' book and get $10 or $20 from it when you can write a 50 page ebook and get $37 or $67 or even $97 from it?

Because that 300 page real book will easily sell ten or twenty times as much as the ebook does, and later translate into higher fees for other products and services.

The small local group that expects "Paula C, business consultant" to come and speak for free will often pay $500 to have "Paula C, author of the best-selling Faza-Faza Whoopee" come and speak.

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David Hooper

14 years ago

Originally Posted by PaulaC

I just wonder why you would bother writing a 300 page 'real' book and get $10 or $20 from it when you can write a 50 page ebook and get $37 or $67 or even $97 from it?

You won't get as much per sale, but you'll sell units, which can end up to more money in the end. Plus, you'll build a biggest list of customers and have more people to go to when your next product comes out. And that next product can be the $97 ebook.

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David Hooper

14 years ago

And one more thing...

An "ebook author" never got on Oprah.

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Dennis Gaskill 14 years ago

Originally Posted by David Hooper

And one more thing...

An "ebook author" never got on Oprah.

lol - most print book authors don't get on Oprah either, but you make a valid (and good) point.
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OLOORE

14 years ago

Wanted to have a book written to my credit two Decembers ago.
Had to drop the idea when my copy typist produced 56pages filled with 'printers' devil.
Lost the urge since then.When I shared idea with a friend,he told me to hold back and see if I'll approve the same work after some months. Now it's more than two yrs.
Maybe I should revisit, today. Please, I need some advice.

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erinwrites 14 years ago

There are so many reasons that I haven't written "my" book yet.

The biggest reason is that the book I would want to write is not necessarily the book that I would write because I wanted to make money. I love the work I create for my clients (hello pretty people who pay me to write for them!) but if I were to commit my time and energy to a book, self published or publishing house published, it would not be on any of the topics that I currently get paid to write about...not that those aren't totally worthwhile topics of course (see pretty pretty clients? I love writing for you!).

Right now I have to concentrate on earning a living and supporting my family. When I get that under control I might spend more time and energy on the book front.

It's still a dream though!
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joefizz

14 years ago

Hi David,

Great advice from Dennis...

Unfortunately, as a naive idiot I sent my new book to one publisher at a time....then waited 8 weeks to be told that they are not taking on new titles.....twits!

I therefore got wise to the subject, did some research, talked to people and found that it is almost impossible to get published. That made me write a blog post stating that "Publishers were exactly like golf clubs...full of their own self importance!"

I am still struggling...although haven't really got going again but have bought the Writers and Artists Year Book (darling there is a book!) and am waiting to choose a literary agent and or publisher.

In frustration with the process, I looked up self publishers and only the cost (and lack of money available) stopped me from proceeding!

To highlight their **** up's, I feel that there should be a worldwide list of incapable publishers ... For example, J K Rowling was declined 5 times to be published! Boy, I hope they can sleep at night...idiots!

HTH

Joe

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Alexa Smith

Banned 14 years ago

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jbsmith

14 years ago

I've written 12 different books and/or ebooks as well as produced a manual and several video training courses as well as a weekly updated membership site over the last 8-years or so...

My only regret is that I didn't start this 10-years earlier - it gets easier and easier and you get smarter and smarter about what sells and what doesn't the more you get involved in the information publishing.

Some of the best tips are...

Self-publish all the way - profits are much higher and you have control
Learn marketing...by having a marketing mindset you are better able to pick topics, target demand, create higher-value products
Leverage affiliates - with your own product you can attract an army of affiliates who share your sales, but expose your book to a far wider audience than you could alone
Go high-end - your book can be an entry-level product for you which spawns higher-priced information packages like courses, home study packages, video courses, guidebooks, paid membership sites, seminars, etc...
Let your market guide your outline. My most successful books/ebooks are those where customers (through surveys, monitoring forums, researching existing products they were buying) have guided the outline...then it becomes so simple to structure and write your book and it will have built-in demand because it came from your market

Perhaps the biggest takeaway - and something that should get everyone writing their own book right now - is that people are not looking for experts, they are looking for answers to questions, anyone can do that.

Jeff

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David Hooper

14 years ago

Originally Posted by jbsmith

Perhaps the biggest takeaway - and something that should get everyone writing their own book right now - is that people are not looking for experts, they are looking for answers to questions, anyone can do that.

True. And if you've got the answers people are looking for, you are an expert, so you're covering both things here.

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joefizz

14 years ago

Originally Posted by jbsmith

I've written 12 different books and/or ebooks as well as produced a manual and several video training courses as well as a weekly updated membership site over the last 8-years or so...

My only regret is that I didn't start this 10-years earlier - it gets easier and easier and you get smarter and smarter about what sells and what doesn't the more you get involved in the information publishing.

Some of the best tips are...

Self-publish all the way - profits are much higher and you have control
Learn marketing...by having a marketing mindset you are better able to pick topics, target demand, create higher-value products
Leverage affiliates - with your own product you can attract an army of affiliates who share your sales, but expose your book to a far wider audience than you could alone
Go high-end - your book can be an entry-level product for you which spawns higher-priced information packages like courses, home study packages, video courses, guidebooks, paid membership sites, seminars, etc...
Let your market guide your outline. My most successful books/ebooks are those where customers (through surveys, monitoring forums, researching existing products they were buying) have guided the outline...then it becomes so simple to structure and write your book and it will have built-in demand because it came from your market

Perhaps the biggest takeaway - and something that should get everyone writing their own book right now - is that people are not looking for experts, they are looking for answers to questions, anyone can do that.

Jeff

Thanks to Jeff too, great advice.

Joe

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danes1

14 years ago

I had kicked around the idea of writing a book for some time. I am happy to say that I finally did. I received some tips on how to outline it and got started. Getting started was the hardest part.

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Jimian

14 years ago

Start off with low priced ebooks ... make a few sales... grow your confidence... keep gettin' ideas... improve writing skills ... BUT start small ...

"You don't have to get it right... you just have to get it going"

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Dennis Gaskill

14 years ago

Originally Posted by joefizz

In frustration with the process, I looked up self publishers and only the cost (and lack of money available) stopped me from proceeding!

Hi Joe,

You can self-publish through Amazon's Createspace site and it doesn't cost you anything except to pay for a "proof" copy to be sent to you (around $10). Your book will go up for sale on Amazon within a few days of approving the proof copy. For a very small fee your book can be made available through other channels as well, including being listed in the wholesale catalogs that the bookstores buy from. You only need to promote it at that point.

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butters

14 years ago

Tbh, I wouldn't even know where to begin to write a book... I can write ebook guides fine but when it comes to a book, well, I got no clue

. Thats my problem, I would love to write a book but know what and how to actually do it is unknown to me.

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CDarklock

14 years ago

Originally Posted by butters

Tbh, I wouldn't even know where to begin to write a book...

"Once upon a time..."

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Sarah Harvey 14 years ago

Now this got me thinking...

Of course I would love to write a book, but my target audience is somewhat different. I guess the plus side is that there are good avenue's of promotion I can take once the book is finished, but juggling life and commitments are pretty darn hard at this point. In a couple of weeks I would have finished some important work and perhaps I can think of starting then.

What really got me thinking is that a few Warriors could come together with a fantastic idea/ concept and each contribute a chapter to a great book. Since the Warrior forum already promotes ideas and tips on running businesses/ making money online, it would be nice to see something different and creative.

I will definitely volunteer for one chapter. Not sure about anyone else?
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Dennis Gaskill

14 years ago

Originally Posted by CDarklock

"Once upon a time..."

It was a dark and stormy night...

@ Butters, getting started is the hardest part. Every writer has their own way of doing things, but what I do is create a Table of Contents. First I list each chapter, then, if it's an instructional book, I break each chapter down into the components of each chapter. For example, for my last book about web design, I started off the TOC like this:

Chapter 1: Introduction to the Internet and Web Design
Chapter 2: An Overview of HTML, XHTML, and CSS
Chapter 3: HTML Kick-start

I ended up with 18 chapters, then I started breaking those down like this:

Chapter 1: Introduction to the Internet and Web Design
1.1 In This Book
1.2 The Internet
1.3 Web Sites
1.4 Standardized Language
1.5 HTML Editors
1.6 Web Design with Word Processors

...and so on. Then you just start writing each part. Of course, the TOC is just an outline, it's subject to change until the book is finished, but starting this way gets you off and running quickly. It works that way for me, anyway, your mileage may vary.

You can browse the TOC's of similar books on Amazon to get an idea of how to structure your TOC and what to include - don't copy them though, but you know that. You're just gathering ideas.

Hope that helps.

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jacktackett

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill

...
You can browse the TOC's of similar books on Amazon to get an idea of how to structure your TOC and what to include - don't copy them though, but you know that. You're just gathering ideas.

Hope that helps.

Dennis has an excellent idea here - I spent many nights at B&N with a small tape recorder recording various TOC and Appendices etc from books for my market research. In fact, just having a few books already on the market is a good sign, not a bad one. It will prove to an acquisitions editor there is a market.

And if you can't get an agent in the beginning - don't worry. If you do get a contract to write a book just ask for a recommendation. The agent might not be able to do much with the first one, but your agent is connected to the editors (more than the publishers since editors move around a lot).

Its typical, at least in the technical arena, for editors to send out requests to agents for books they want to have written. So folks start coming to you with work instead of you doing the initial grunt work.

I also highly recommend a book by Dan Poynter called Dan Poynter's Self Publishing Manual. Its a few years old now, but well worth the read. One of his best suggestions from the book is that book stores are the worst place to sell a book with hopes of making money. Again - its all about marketing.

Finally, while there has been a rash of WSOs and other 'amazon' systems out there, that show you how to create a book in like 10 mins etc, be careful folks. If you publish a bunch of bad books that no one likes or feels ripped off you will find yourself with a bad reputation that will be hard to overcome.

As always - give folks want they want for a price they'll be happy they paid.

--Jack

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Calamaroo

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill

It was a dark and stormy night...

@ Butters, getting started is the hardest part. Every writer has their own way of doing things, but what I do is create a Table of Contents. First I list each chapter, then, if it's an instructional book, I break each chapter down into the components of each chapter. For example, for my last book about web design, I started off the TOC like this:

Chapter 1: Introduction to the Internet and Web Design
Chapter 2: An Overview of HTML, XHTML, and CSS
Chapter 3: HTML Kick-start

I ended up with 18 chapters, then I started breaking those down like this:

Chapter 1: Introduction to the Internet and Web Design
1.1 In This Book
1.2 The Internet
1.3 Web Sites
1.4 Standardized Language
1.5 HTML Editors
1.6 Web Design with Word Processors

...and so on. Then you just start writing each part. Of course, the TOC is just an outline, it's subject to change until the book is finished, but starting this way gets you off and running quickly. It works that way for me, anyway, your mileage may vary.

You can browse the TOC's of similar books on Amazon to get an idea of how to structure your TOC and what to include - don't copy them though, but you know that. You're just gathering ideas.

Hope that helps.

I'm currently reading online a free pdf of the John Edwards and Joe Vitale book The 7 Day Ebook. What do you think of their advice?

"Rather than trying to create the book then writing the sales letter - simply reverse the process!

Write the sales letter first and make it totally compelling! Go all out with the bullets and the guarantees and all the awesome benefits someone will get from reading this book.

Whip yourself into a frenzy listing off all of the things that people will learn and all the benefits they will receive - the FREE bonuses they will get - all the life changing things they will receive as a result of reading your ebook!

Write bullets and descriptive text about all of the wonderful things contained in your ebook!" and so on.

What do you think of this process?

They also advice that we should just keep writing and worry about the organization of the book later.

Thanks

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CDarklock

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill

It was a dark and stormy night...

"Toodle-oo, Caribou! A Tale of the Frozen North."

Every writer has their own way of doing things, but what I do is create a Table of Contents.

I do much the same thing. I start with a very high-level notion, and break it into three- and five-part subtopics. Like I might start with "WordPress" and divide that up into "Installing," "Configuring," and "Operating." Then I'd go to "Installing" and break it into (say) "Downloading," "Settings," "Uploading," "Installation," and "Setup."

Eventually, I can't break it down any more, and I just go down the list and expand each bit into a couple of sentences. Once I've done that, I read through it and expand on everything that seems unclear.

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Dennis Gaskill

14 years ago

Originally Posted by jacktackett

Finally, while there has been a rash of WSOs and other 'amazon' systems out there, that show you how to create a book in like 10 mins etc, be careful folks. If you publish a bunch of bad books that no one likes or feels ripped off you will find yourself with a bad reputation that will be hard to overcome.

As always - give folks want they want for a price they'll be happy they paid.

That's an excellent point, and I'm not just returning the compliment. I've seen some of those Amazon products, and they talk a lot more about speed than quality. Even if you write the best book you are capable of, there will still be people who don't like it. That's just the way some people are, but you can imagine how many more won't like it if you publish crap. It's hard to overcome a bad reputation.

Don't let that scare you off if you want to publish a book. There will always be those who don't like you or what you do, but do what you dream of anyway. The rewards far outweigh the downside. Just remember, you're putting your name on it, so make it good.

Originally Posted by Calamaroo

I'm currently reading online a free pdf of the John Edwards and Joe Vitale book The 7 Day Ebook. What do you think of their advice?

"Rather than trying to create the book then writing the sales letter - simply reverse the process!

Write the sales letter first and make it totally compelling! Go all out with the bullets and the guarantees and all the awesome benefits someone will get from reading this book. and so on.

What do you think of this process?

They also advice that we should just keep writing and worry about the organization of the book later.

I sometimes write the sales page first, but not usually. Sometimes on a big project, I'll write the sales page in the middle of the project to get excited again if the book starts to drag. Most of the time though I write the book then write the sales page. That's just me, that doesn't mean their way isn't good too. Like I said earlier, everyone has their own way of going about it. We have to find what works for us personally and go with it. It doesn't matter if anyone else does it that way.

As for your closing comment, I will write and not worry about organization when I'm "in the flow" on smaller projects, but for a full length book I try to avoid it unless it's really great stuff pouring out. The reason I try to avoid it is because it creates extra work. When nothing is organized, you have to go to the additional step of organizing it. My last book was 514 pages, you can see how much work that would be to organize it if it wasn't in reasonable order to begin with.

But, I'm one of those writers who doesn't have any trouble getting started and getting into a groove. If I had a hard time with that, I'd probably be more inclined to write when the words were flowing and worry about organization later. Again, it comes down to what works for you personally. There is no right or wrong way, there is only what works and what doesn't.

Originally Posted by CDarklock

I do much the same thing. I start with a very high-level notion, and break it into three- and five-part subtopics. Like I might start with "WordPress" and divide that up into "Installing," "Configuring," and "Operating." Then I'd go to "Installing" and break it into (say) "Downloading," "Settings," "Uploading," "Installation," and "Setup."

Eventually, I can't break it down any more, and I just go down the list and expand each bit into a couple of sentences. Once I've done that, I read through it and expand on everything that seems unclear.

As you said, it is much the same thing. And the lesson for others is that you do it, and I do, because it works for us. I would encourage anyone that doesn't know where to start to give this method a try. Of course, as Jack mentioned earlier, this is for how-to books, fiction is another animal.

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Simon Royal

14 years ago

For me the biggest hold up or set back is this,

How many pages does your book need?

I got hung up on this for a little while because you can write a 15 page ebook and sell it for 7-47 depending on the topic and what you have inside it.

But how easy of a sale would a paperback 15 page report be?
Sell it at 9.95-39.95

Probably not.

The higher markup comes from ebooks but I think that you can definately have more sales and longer term sales in physical form.

So what is the smallest number of pages in a book you have bought?

The lowest number of pages in a book I bought was 58.
For 6.95

Im dying to know.

Torrance

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Dennis Gaskill

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Simon Royal

For me the biggest hold up or set back is this,

How many pages does your book need?

Torrance, if you publish through Amazon's Createspace, the minimum page number is just 24 pages. You set your own prices. I wouldn't expect to sell many if you price it like ebooks. I wouldn't expect to sell many 24-page books either, unless it's a children's book.

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Simon Royal

14 years ago

Personally for my few projects I am working on I am shooting for 50-60 pages.

Very direct step by step how to topics.(ebook style)

Mostly lead generators for higher end packages. (Mine or affiliates)

But we will see how it goes.

50 pages-11.97

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Dennis Gaskill

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Simon Royal

Personally for my few projects I am working on I am shooting for 50-60 pages.

Very direct step by step how to topics.(ebook style)

Mostly lead generators for higher end packages. (Mine or affiliates)

But we will see how it goes.

50 pages-11.97

Some will think that's overpriced, but I'd pay it if you were teaching something I wanted to know and I thought you offered the best solution. Your success will be in how well you can convince potential customers that you, in fact, do have the best solution.

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charlieboy61

14 years ago

I am the father of an autistic son and for a long time I have been thinking of writing a book on my experience of bring up an autistic son. I even have a tittle for the book "Lessons From An Autistic Son" and the focus of the book is the lessons I learned on how to get out of a setback and move to the peak of the life. I even have a rough TOC. Guess two reasons have held me back. First whether I can get a publisher to publish in the event the book is written. Second is time, holding a busy and high pressure daytime job means that I am knock out when i finished work.

Now that I know that I can self publish, so I have solved the first problem. Can anyone recommend any resources to help me get started on my self publishing route? I also noticed that there are some WSO on the Amazon system, can anyone share which of the WSO would be really useful for me. I am browsing over the various wso and have not decided which wso I would buy.

For the second challenge, guess almost everyone is facing shortage of time. Any tips on how to squeeze more time for writing?

Charles

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joefizz

14 years ago

Originally Posted by charlieboy61

I am the father of an autistic son and for a long time I have been thinking of writing a book on my experience of bring up an autistic son. I even have a tittle for the book "Lessons From An Autistic Son" and the focus of the book is the lessons I learned on how to get out of a setback and move to the peak of the life. I even have a rough TOC. Guess two reasons have held me back. First whether I can get a publisher to publish in the event the book is written. Second is time, holding a busy and high pressure daytime job means that I am knock out when i finished work.

Now that I know that I can self publish, so I have solved the first problem. Can anyone recommend any resources to help me get started on my self publishing route? I also noticed that there are some WSO on the Amazon system, can anyone share which of the WSO would be really useful for me. I am browsing over the various wso and have not decided which wso I would buy.

For the second challenge, guess almost everyone is facing shortage of time. Any tips on how to squeeze more time for writing?

Charles

Hi Charles

I have just used Createspace.com to self publish (part of Amazon) and the service was excellent.

Take a tip from me. The publishing bit occupied my mind alot of the time, which kind of made me ineffective a little bit of time. So put your efforts into writing the book and then go flat out to self publishing...

The other thing you need is a plan to follow, I thoroughly recommend it, particularity if you are short on time! Use the 80/20 rule in that 20% of what you do produces 80% of the results...so why you doing the other stuff?

HTH

Joe

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charlieboy61

14 years ago

Originally Posted by joefizz

Hi Charles

I have just used Createspace.com to self publish (part of Amazon) and the service was excellent.

Take a tip from me. The publishing bit occupied my mind alot of the time, which kind of made me ineffective a little bit of time. So put your efforts into writing the book and then go flat out to self publishing...

The other thing you need is a plan to follow, I thoroughly recommend it, particularity if you are short on time! Use the 80/20 rule in that 20% of what you do produces 80% of the results...so why you doing the other stuff?

HTH

Joe

Hi Joe,

Just to let you know that I have completed a rough outline of the book and have also written one chapter. My book will contain 10 chapters. I have made some progress. Its just a matter of perserverance.

Charles

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joefizz

14 years ago

Hi Charles,

That's fab news!!! well done..

Keep going my friend.

My book is now published and am working a plan to get it 'out there'. In fact, yesterday afternoon, I completed a WSO on it. Check it out... 'How to Raise Children Successfully' book

Good luck Charles

Joe

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Dennis Gaskill

14 years ago

Originally Posted by joefizz

My book is now published and am working a plan to get it 'out there'. In fact, yesterday afternoon, I completed a WSO on it. Check it out... 'How to Raise Children Successfully' book

Congratulations, Joe! I had a feeling from our previous conversation in this thread that you were going to be someone who took action and saw it through.

Good luck with the sales.

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joefizz 14 years ago

Hey morning Dennis

I must say your interaction just made the difference, which I thank you wholeheartedly for...

There is so much to do but enjoying every minute of it!

I'll let you know how I get on.

best regards again Dennis

Joe
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Gemini9 14 years ago

As a hobby, I write childrens stories, but haven't published anything yet; I hope to.

Wow, so I should be prepare to get rejected 25 or 35 times! But then I look at J.K. Rowling, or the Starbucks guy and clearly persistence pays. Particularly if you believe you've got a winner on your hands.
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mcmahanusa 14 years ago

Has anyone tried writing a hybrid? By that I mean, write it first as an e-book, and then also self-publish (perhaps through Amazon), marketing it both ways?

I have a book in mind (absolutely nothing to do with making money or marketing), and in fact have started a preliminary outline.

Thoughts? Comments?
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- Tiger66466 14 years ago
  
  I technically have written a book or two.
  
  A few years ago I first participated in National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo.org) and I "finished" the 50,000 word goal. It was a fiction book and granted I didn't really finish as the story wasn't done. But I can say I've written one. lol
  
  As of today I'm almost done with an ebook I started yesterday. My first one of all my own content! I was looking to do a clean up of some PLR stuff but I couldn't find anything I liked and I don't mind writing so I just started from scratch.
  
  I'm putting the finishing touches on it (even produced an ebook cover - my first attempt not great but I'm sure I did better than my dog would have done so that's something). Want to have it all ready to go within the day or so and start promoting it. Still have to do a sales page.
  
  I think for most people they think they don't have the time in the sense that the idea of a book is overwhelming! Most think of books as 100+ pages and so the overall idea is nerve wracking. It definitely is better to think in terms of topic and subtopic and chapters.
  
  I have another book I've started on that is non-fiction but has nothing to do with marketing of any kind. I've been having a hard time with that one because my thoughts are very scattered on it. I think I've done an outline but I don't feel I've come up with concrete topics and breakdowns to start with.
  
  Oh, another reason I think people have a hard time with writing a book is because they feel they have to write in a really formal way. That may be true for some topics but generally it is way better to write much like how you talk - be conversational.
  
  On another forum (again nothing to do with marketing) someone sent me a private message saying how she was new to the forum (I've been on it about 2 years) and how she would get happy and excited when she saw my picture come up because she loved how I wrote and what I had to say and how I said it. What a boost! And it reminded me to just stick with writing like that for the book I'm scattered on.
  
  Ok, ending the rambling with one tidbit. For those who want to squeeze more time in for writing I advise getting a digital voice recorder (I got one at walmart that's like $30 and it has a usb so you can save your mp3 files on your computer). And use that to talk into what you'd want to write. You can do that while in the car or in other times when you may not be able to actually write (especially if you are driving or things like that).
  
  I haven't used Dragon Speak but I've heard a lot of people say it's great here.
  
  So yeah for many it may be easier to talk first and then take what they said and transcribe and write.
  
  Stacy
  
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Silas Hart

14 years ago

I have been planning on writing a series of actual books that teach the fundamentals and how I've applied them to my own business. However, a lot of the information I've wrote changes on an almost bi-monthly basis. So, by the time I actually release the book and make a couple sales on it, it will already be "old info" and I dont want people to read my book and not really learn anything new because all of my "new info" has now become "old info." Much like how when I purchased Ewen Chia's book about affiliate marketing. Everything I learned in that book I already knew from about a weeks worth of reading here on the WarriorForum... however at the time of it's release, it was probably pretty damn awesome to have.

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x3xsolxdierx3x

14 years ago

Originally Posted by FaJeeb

I have been planning on writing a series of actual books that teach the fundamentals and how I've applied them to my own business. However, a lot of the information I've wrote changes on an almost bi-monthly basis. So, by the time I actually release the book and make a couple sales on it, it will already be "old info" and I dont want people to read my book and not really learn anything new because all of my "new info" has now become "old info." Much like how when I purchased Ewen Chia's book about affiliate marketing. Everything I learned in that book I already knew from about a weeks worth of reading here on the WarriorForum... however at the time of it's release, it was probably pretty damn awesome to have.

Oh...wow...this is EXACTLY what happened to me with my book....

The context is different, but the fact that the information 'changed' while in production was definitely the truth....that is a serious pain, there were parts in my book/course, where I honestly felt the obligation, to my readers, to contact people and do further research, and even making very intelligent assumptions about what I believe COULD happen....

This was a tricky thing to navigate, especially in an online world that is continually evolving....

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KatyaSenina 14 years ago

Originally Posted by CDarklock

"Once upon a time..."

LOL this cracked me up
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joefizz

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill

Hi Joe,

You can self-publish through Amazon's Createspace site and it doesn't cost you anything except to pay for a "proof" copy to be sent to you (around $10). Your book will go up for sale on Amazon within a few days of approving the proof copy. For a very small fee your book can be made available through other channels as well, including being listed in the wholesale catalogs that the bookstores buy from. You only need to promote it at that point.

Hi Dennis,

Wow...I think that I have had one of 'those' moments.

Thank you so much! I have my 40 or so printed A4 sheets here ready to go, so your timing couldn't have been better!

I'll get that organised today....

Best regards

Joe

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joefizz

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill

Hi Joe,

You can self-publish through Amazon's Createspace site and it doesn't cost you anything except to pay for a "proof" copy to be sent to you (around $10). Your book will go up for sale on Amazon within a few days of approving the proof copy. For a very small fee your book can be made available through other channels as well, including being listed in the wholesale catalogs that the bookstores buy from. You only need to promote it at that point.

Dennis,

Thanks for the great tip. I have nearly completed the submission to Create Space....thanks again. One question (sorry for being dumb), how do I format A4 page size into the right size for the upload into their publishing section?

regards

Joe

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quiescen

14 years ago

Great topic! Just published my first book through Createspace - Amazon's POD arm. A week later, I doubled my rates.

What I did was hire someone to compile my articles, organize them, and edit them into final book form. The result? A 340 page book that became a #1 bestseller on Amazon in its first week in print!

You can see the book at Amazon.com: Free to be Creative at the Piano: A Revolutionary Approach to Music Making (9781451595246): Edward Weiss: Books

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David Hooper 14 years ago

If you're looking for a standard publishing deal, rejection is part of it. My main business is music and EVERYBODY has been rejected...usually multiple times. If not, you're not trying hard enough.

The guy from Starbucks Coffee had to approach 242 investors to get the needed money for his first store. 217 rejected him.

How many of you married the first person you went out with?
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theteach

14 years ago

I think it's easier to start writing a book if you have already written articles (assuming you are writing non-fiction).

I have written 9 books from my own content and I have 'compiled' 30 others. I believe that in order to start, you have to treat it like a job and be disciplined. That is, set a specific time each day to write and stick with it.

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jacktackett

14 years ago

Originally Posted by theteach

I think it's easier to start writing a book if you have already written articles (assuming you are writing non-fiction).

I have written 9 books from my own content and I have 'compiled' 30 others. I believe that in order to start, you have to treat it like a job and be disciplined. That is, set a specific time each day to write and stick with it.

That's how I got started writing books - writing articles. It was easier to approach editors since I could prove I could write. I now have 10 books under my belt with folks like Que and John Wiley and Sons.

Publishers are looking for books that will sell - ie for which there's a market - sound familiar? :-)

I've also self published books back before POD firms like Lulu and Create Space. I still have several boxes of unsold books in my basement too. You young people have it soooo much easier

As for writing - different strokes for different folks. I create an outline first and then work from that. If you consider a chapter a few decent sized articles then you can work your way through them.

Now I'm talking about non-fiction books (mine all deal with computers), fiction is a different can of worms. Creative writing is a bit harder to sell to mainline publishers - and to the masses. I'm not saying it can't be done - its done every year - but its just a tough row to hoe.

The technical parts of getting a book published is from a process point still the same and has been for a long time. Most 'publisher' don't really print books - they don't have printing presses. They get the book ready and then hire a printer. Today you can just print them on demand (POD) through firms like Amazon and Lulu and many others (pick up a copy of Writer's Digest - you'll find many POD publishers advertising there).

The 'hardest' part is the marketing!!! Most beginning authors don't realize what a job it is to market their book- or themselves. Only major authors get any sort of marketing help from publishers - the rest are on their own.

As the OP David suggests - there's nothing technically stopping you from publishing a book! You can do it, and as he and others have said - there are plenty of us here on the forum who will be glad to help out! Just ask.

Good luck and lets get some books published!

--Jack

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Lauryn

14 years ago

I want to thoroughly review a really unique angle in my primary niches, which are female sexuality and infidelity. There's a lot of good information, but there's also a lot of crappy information.

I am quality-driven and I want to build credibility with my sites... as I will put my face behind them publicly, when I present this information. As I don't have a system in place to automate these sites as it is, I cannot even begin to think of how to add this to the list!!!

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affilorama-portal

14 years ago

My biggest obstacle is time. You know how you first have to get into the zone so that your mind works well and the words just flow and all that? It takes time to get into that and I just can't fit it in. Maybe when all the kids are grown and out of the house and I no longer have to juggle home and work too much, I'll have a chance.

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BiancaRaven

14 years ago

The primary reason most people put off writing a book is that they're intimidated by the length of the work to be completed. I tend to write between 2-3 ebooks per week for clients and have done for years. It's not difficult.

The key is to write your chapter headings. Then view each heading as an extended article that needs to be written. It's much easier to complete when you break it down into bite-sized chunks

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Calamaroo

14 years ago

Originally Posted by BiancaRaven

The primary reason most people put off writing a book is that they're intimidated by the length of the work to be completed. I tend to write between 2-3 ebooks per week for clients and have done for years. It's not difficult.

The key is to write your chapter headings. Then view each heading as an extended article that needs to be written. It's much easier to complete when you break it down into bite-sized chunks

Yeah. This is what I'll do. Thanks.

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JohnMcCabe

14 years ago

David, Dennis, or anyone else for that matter...

I have a little different challenge. I can get started just fine. My problem is knowing where to stop.

I have several outlines going. The problem is, I keep looking at them and thinking, "this would be even better if I added this", or "If I tell them to do that, I should explain how to do that", or...

How do you decide the outline is complete? I'm up for writing a book, but I don't want to do another encyclopedia.

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createyouwealth

14 years ago

I have thought about the idea. I want to reach my Personal Goals first before I get into writing a book. I want my book to be an Inspirational type of book.

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Yogini

14 years ago

I never felt I had enough time to write a book, but I did write a 24 page booklet and that was a way I could put the essential ideas into print form without filler too. The route I went was self-publishing. What I find helpful is to have pricing for both individual copies and bulk copies. You still have to be involved in marketing it, whether that is through offline or online methods (or both). But, it also leads to other opportunities such as workshops or individual consult sessions. I haven't tried the amazon route but that seems like a good idea as well, especially as Dennis pointed out, that it can be broadened into wholesale catalog sales.

Debbie

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KatyaSenina

14 years ago

Thought about doing that...but people want to read books from people who have already made it. I'm not quite there yet... Maybe next year :p

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grayambition 14 years ago

Originally Posted by KatyaSenina

Thought about doing that...but people want to read books from people who have already made it. I'm not quite there yet... Maybe next year :p

Not if the book is about getting there.

Or about something that doesn't have to do with being there.

There are all sorts of books.

If you're serious, don't wait for some time in the future when you've made it.

What does making it mean, and how will you know when you're there?

And will you have time for your book then?
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reapr

14 years ago

I was going to write a 120 page ebook but once I realized I would likely write it in a normal font at 10 or 11 pt it then shrank to a 5 page report and would not feel comfortable passing it off as an ebook. Is that a good excuse?

It would be a fun project to write a print book but I have always asked is thier money to be made. Fantasy sci-fi would do it for me. Other interest would be how to tech stuff.

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tim413

14 years ago

I am interested in writing a book. How should I go about it, so my book is successful?

Tim

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x3xsolxdierx3x

14 years ago

Nothing is keeping me from do it....because I did it already

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Don Brigante

14 years ago

Fear. I am scared that it will be a lousy book.

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Dennis Gaskill 14 years ago

Originally Posted by Don Brigante

Fear. I am scared that it will be a lousy book.

If it turns out to be lousy, you don't have to show it to anyone . . . but if you don't try, you'll always wonder what might have been.
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- Don Brigante 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill
  
  If it turns out to be lousy, you don't have to show it to anyone . . . but if you don't try, you'll always wonder what might have been.
  
  Thanks, Dannis! You are right.
  
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  "Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book." - Cicero (106 BC â€“ 43 BC)
  
  Warriorforum, nowadays. Times are still bad. Children still don't obey their parents, and everyone is writing an eBook.
  
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Richard E

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Don Brigante

Fear. I am scared that it will be a lousy book.

2 quick thoughts on this:

Don't ask me for a footnote on this, only 1 in 4 or 1 in 10 nonfiction books sold actually gets read. Especially books sold to busy business owners. Or given to them as a credibility builder. So even if your book is fair, 75 to 90% of buyers won't know. Yet a busy business owner will see you as an expert and likely hire you for consulting.

Better to write "lousy" blog posts or lousy articles and get some feedback to make improvements than to write a whole book and find out it's lousy.

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Dennis Gaskill 14 years ago

Originally Posted by Richard~

2 quick thoughts on this:

Don't ask me for a footnote on this, only 1 in 4 or 1 in 10 nonfiction books sold actually gets read.

If you can't recall your source of information I have to discount that as misinformation. It's pretty hard to believe 9 out of 10 people who buy a book don't read it.
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miavanru

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Richard~

2 quick thoughts on this:

Don't ask me for a footnote on this, only 1 in 4 or 1 in 10 nonfiction books sold actually gets read. Especially books sold to busy business owners. Or given to them as a credibility builder. So even if your book is fair, 75 to 90% of buyers won't know. Yet a busy business owner will see you as an expert and likely hire you for consulting.

Better to write "lousy" blog posts or lousy articles and get some feedback to make improvements than to write a whole book and find out it's lousy.

this is true. how many times have we downloaded ebooks to read it for later? lol. I know i do this alot. but if i see, ooh, i saw his/her book and downloaded it -- guess what? i think he/she is good or credible. automatically too.

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Dennis Gaskill

14 years ago

Originally Posted by imon32red

Is there a reason that more of us Warriors are not writing fiction?

I'm not a fiction writer, but I think I have a pretty good guess. There's not as much money in it unless you have a well-established name. I think it's also harder to get started in fiction, from a sales standpoint. You can make more faster in non-fiction.

Originally Posted by miavanru

this is true. how many times have we downloaded ebooks to read it for later? lol. I know i do this alot. but if i see, ooh, i saw his/her book and downloaded it -- guess what? i think he/she is good or credible. automatically too.

The person you quoted said books, not Ebooks.

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imon32red

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill

I'm not a fiction writer, but I think I have a pretty good guess. There's not as much money in it unless you have a well-established name. I think it's also harder to get started in fiction, from a sales standpoint. You can make more faster in non-fiction.

Hey Dennis,

It's always a pleasure to read your posts.

I don't know what you make as a royalty off of your non-fiction works, but I know a few people who write fiction and do very well. They do not have a big name. In the past the publishers held all the cards, and all the money. Things are changing in a big way in the publishing industry. I think that it is easier now to publish fiction and market it yourself than ever before.

If you look at where the publishing industry was five years ago and compare it with today there have been a couple of major changes.

P.O.D. is readily available to anyone. In the past you had to purchase a minimum of 1000 books to self publish. Today you only have to publish 1 book.
Ebook readers were nonexistent. Anyone can publish a book for the Amazon Kindle and have it live on Amazons website within a few hours.
Once your book has been published you can promote it online to millions of people at no cost or very little.

Through all of this publishers have given up very little market share. But that little bit continues to grow by a small amount everyday. The question I ask myself is, how much of that market share will they give up in the next 5 years. I think it is going to be quite a bit. And I want a small piece of it.

My point is this. If you want to write non-fiction, write non-fiction. If you want to write fiction, write fiction. If you are passionate about something you can usually find a way to make a living out of it. It is often much easier to do something that you are passionate about rather than something that you are not.

T

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Dennis Gaskill

14 years ago

Originally Posted by imon32red

Hey Dennis,

It's always a pleasure to read your posts.

I don't know what you make as a royalty off of your non-fiction works, but I know a few people who write fiction and do very well. They do not have a big name. In the past the publishers held all the cards, and all the money. Things are changing in a big way in the publishing industry. I think that it is easier now to publish fiction and market it yourself than ever before.

Like I said, I was just guessing because I don't write non-fiction. In the post below yours, Amanda cites the same reason I did, but based on personal experience. Of course, it's all subjective unless we started exchanging figures. The amount you consider "very well" might be some else entirely to me. Are the people you know doing all the marketing for their books? The skills they bring to the table in that department can make all the difference.

My point is this. If you want to write non-fiction, write non-fiction. If you want to write fiction, write fiction. If you are passionate about something you can usually find a way to make a living out of it. It is often much easier to do something that you are passionate about rather than something that you are not.
T

Couldn't agree with you more on that! Everyone has to chase their own dream. There's no point in chasing someone else's dream.

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ivanadee

14 years ago

Sometimes, we have the idea but feel so difficult to write it all in details. we delay it. doing something else.forget. ^_^

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charlesburke 14 years ago

Writing a book always seems like a HUGE undertaking as long as we sit and look at it. But the minute we get off dead center and start breaking the job down into small, doable tasks, then just do them, one at a time, everything changes.

Working as a rewriter and tape transcriber in Japan, I spent 15 years looking at the pile of pages I turned out each week, and I always wondered whether I could write a book if I'd simply give myself an assignment just like customers did. Then one day I decided to test the idea.

I sat down and put together an outline in a couple of hours, then wrote the book in about 3 months of VERY part time work. It's been selling on the Internet for the past nine years. And I never had to ask an editor's or agent's permission to do it.

A few other books followed.

Then back in February, I was attending an expat's meeting here in Chiang Mai, Thailand, listening to a presentation on something or other, and I began wondering whether the members would be interested in hearing a speech on how to write their own ebook, put it on the Internet and sell it. So after the meeting, I went up front and proposed my topic. It took them a month to make up their minds, but they came back with a yes.

I put together my first ever Power Point presentation for the speech, and gave a presentation that got some of the highest approval ratings ever. Seems a lot of people dream of writing their own book.

Well, that led me to figure - why not write yet another book. So I did - and this time I already knew my way around.

Same procedure as the first one, but this time it went much more quickly. Forty-five minutes for the outline, 3 weeks for writing a 113 page ebook, plus all the graphics, bonus resources, website, autoresponder - everything.

And since I'm not interested in getting a measly dollar a book from a publisher, I decided to charge a measly dollar a book, selling it myself. That may seem crazy, but it's crazy like a fox.

You see, I included blurbs for coaching classes in the back of the book as my backend offer.

Oh - and I included free MRR rights with the book, so anybody downloading it can resell it or give it away - as they wish. So I expect a certain amount of free distribution.

You see, when you write your book, if you're the publisher, you can change the game and set it up any way you want to. You only have to obey "traditional rules" if you're playing somebody else's game.

Back in 2002, I wrote a book of interviews titled "Inside the Minds of Winners," and included master resale rights with it. That ebook now shows up - depending on the day and Google's mood - on between 20,000 and 60,000 websites. What publisher could have given that kind of visibility and distribution? I can't even calculate how many downloads that may represent.

Cheers from warm and smiling Thailand,
Charles
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SmallFry

14 years ago

I've actually thought about writing books alot over the last few years.All different kinds, because I *love* writing!I guess the only thing stopping me is-me ;-) It's definitely something that I'll be doing one of these days.Right now, though, I'm trying to learn everything I can about IM, and I don't want to overwhelm myself by putting too much on my plate.Definitely someday, though.

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imon32red 14 years ago

I am currently in the process of writing a fiction ebook for the Amazon Kindle. It is an interactive book and I don't think that I will ever publish a physical book because I think it will lose some of its value. When I finish it I will talk more about it.

From what I have read many Warriors have published non-fiction informative books. But I am not reading about very many warriors are working with fiction. When I think of reading something for fun I don't want to read about making money, or number crunching etc. I read that stuff for work everyday.

Is there a reason that more of us Warriors are not writing fiction?
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Amanda Craven

14 years ago

I've written 6 fiction and 2 non-fiction books - all bestsellers in their genres. The reason more Warriors are not writing fiction is probably because fiction does not sell nearly as well online as non-fiction and that is the market on which most of us are focused.

If you do want to write fiction, all that marketing experience will stand you in good stead if you have a book published. Even in major publishing houses the publicity department is usually woeful. Get a bunch of authors together and you will be plunged straight into a bitchfest about publishers' efforts at marketing (or not)...agents' efforts at selling (or not)...I think you get the picture.

As for JK Rowling...it was more like 20 rejections. But, like most successful authors, she just kept on plugging away until one bit. That particular publisher has based a large part of his subsequent career on the fact that he was the one who 'discovered' the author of Harry Potter. And full marks to him - he had the guts to take a chance on an unknown when no-one else would.

That's all it takes - a publisher prepared to give you a chance. They're always hungry for what they call 'a fresh voice.' The hard part is to sustain a career in an increasingly cut-throat business. Mainsteam publishing is definitely not for pussies and the rise of the online market is partly to blame.

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The-English-Webmistress

14 years ago

Having worked a lot with the writing community (websites, bookcovers, logos, promo videos etc.), here's what I've learned from their experiences they've shared with me.

1. Try to go the self-publishing route if you possibly can. Earning 6% of the cover price of your book sold by a Publishing House is no fun at all. Especially since you will generally have to pay for your own marketing and tours etc.

2. Get a decent website up and running as quickly as possibly, and network, network, network, both online and offline. More sales are likely to be made via word of mouth than through any other method of marketing.

3. Your bookcover and book title can make or break your sales. Be careful how you choose these.

4. 'Back of the room sales' can be a huge earner. If you can generate oppportunities to give talks, or do some kind of presentation at local events, grab them with both hands. They may become your staple means of book sales/income from your writing.

5. For those of you who are struggling with knocking out their very own 'Great American Novel', try this - writequickly.com. I first read and used this ebook years and years ago and I still used what I learned to knock out articles, book material and even website copy really quickly. I've recommended it writers I've worked with and subsequently seen people achieve success with getting their story and concepts on paper after following this guy's plan.

6. For those who are struggling with writer's block, try joining in with the National Novel Writing Month, or at least read about it, for inspiration. Do a search for 'NaNoWriMo' in Google and a ton on information will come up.

Good luck!

Andrea, the English Webmistress

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Amanda Craven

14 years ago

A fellow Londoner - hi Andrea! Great advice, especially the bit about networking although publishers love to pander the word of mouth line to authors. Saves them investing in any marketing themselves...

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samuraiwriting

14 years ago

I finally started my nonfiction book but am deciding if I want to turn it into an ebook for now until I get some visitors to my site. I have read that publishers and agents don't look at newbies unless they get some traffic going to their site and prove they are going to work in selling and promoting their books. But a query letter never hurts anyone so maybe I just need to send in the chapter outline and synopsis and see how it goes. I hope that everyone here works towards writing a book.

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Mark Riddle

14 years ago

My advice is to write the sales letter FIRST !

2nd write the back cover of the book....

3rd write the table of contents.

By then you will have a clear overview and path of what is covered in this book and what is to be left alone.

Write your full book, if there is any information that you feel needs to be more in depth, then research those points and you're project is complete.

Mark Riddle

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nongnut36

14 years ago

I got lots to write about but never really thought about writing a book, not sure how to go about it. Would be interesting I would think, sure.

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furca

14 years ago

What's stopping me from writing a book? I don't want others to find out my strategies of course... the strategies that are working!

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charlieboy61 14 years ago

Originally Posted by furca

What's stopping me from writing a book? I don't want others to find out my strategies of course... the strategies that are working!

You can always charge for sharing your strategies lol

Charles
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Grace26

14 years ago

I have had this idea of writing a book for a couple of years now, but somehow have never done it. After reading the comments provided here, I think I am ready to have a go at it. Thanks to all who contributed this valuable information.

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MattSteel

14 years ago

I have lots of ideas for writing ebooks. I have written some for others before, but know that templates and other things are required to make them your own and sellable. Where does one begin? I write for my company (training manuals, web pages, news article, How-To guides, etc) and love doing it. I even put in CAD drawings, pictures, and other things. But I know that you can't do that legally without some sort of ownership proof, right? So many questions, and I am ready to begin.

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kirtyhomes

Banned 12 years ago

[DELETED]

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celente 12 years ago

Originally Posted by kirtyhomes

Writing Book is an art. It is very useful task and I like to reading a book of great Authors. I am Fond of Reading a Books of Chetan Bhagat.

It is not really an art, its more about doing the right research and giving away high quality content to people that want it.

Your mentality must be in the right people before you right the first word. Do that and you will get some good results.

Your niche is important too.
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Writing a Book - What is Keeping You From Doing It?

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