“A friend accepts us as we are yet helps us to be what we should.” ~Author Unknown

This article assumes that you have some interest in getting a non-fiction book published some day.  You might find it interesting even if you don’t have any such desires!

Book Writing Mistakes Cost $100,000

Last time I talked about the mistakes that I made after I decided to write a book.  I would guess that those mistakes cost me at least three years – three additional years where I did not have a book working for me to increase my income.  Guessing what that has meant to me in lost income from additional speaking engagement fees, increased coaching income and direct book sales to my seminar participants, without out even calculating in any book sales thru Amazon or other sources, I am going estimate that not having a book for those three years cost me at least $100,000 in additional income. (Wow!  It even hurts to type that out and read it!)

What will it cost you to add an additional three years onto the book writing/publication/marketing cycle?  I don’t know, but I guarantee it will cost you at lot!  Depending on your business, it could cost you much more than $100,000!

So what would I do differently if I was starting a book today and wanted to get it done and working for me as quickly and elegantly as possible?

11 Steps to Non-Fiction Publishing Success

  1. I would completely forget about getting my first book published traditionally and I would immediately start the process of becoming an expert on self-publishing.  (I’ll talk about the why of this in future entries, and notice that I said first book.)
  2. I would find and join or create a non-fiction writer’s group that met weekly and made me read new, not revised, material each and every week.  (I’ll talk more about this in future entries as well.)
  3. I would immediately start blogging, however short the entries, 5 times per week.  (More to come here as well.)
  4. I would immediately hire an email newsletter service and start collecting names of people that like my material. (More coming)
  5. As quickly as possible, I would start to release a weekly newsletter to those collected names – however short the newsletter! (More coming)
  6. I would create a Mastermind group of like energy and achievement minded and completely different skills people and we would begin to meet weekly.  (Much more about this process later – this is one of my strongest passions!)
  7. I would decide and commit that I was going to write every single day, no matter what, and I would slowly amp up the volume of that writing.  (More coming)
  8. I would hire a book writing coach, if I could afford one, or join a monthly book writing coaching membership site if I could not afford a personal coach.  (More about this to come as well)
  9. If I wasn’t already a public speaker, I would join Toastmasters and start the process of becoming one!  (Yes – you guessed it…more coming)
  10. I would open a twitter account and start following people that interested me. (More to come!)
  11. I would start on account on LinkedIn and then dedicate just a bit of time each week here.

I wouldn’t expect to get all of these things done right away.  But I would expect to have most of them in place within six weeks and all of them in place and working for me within six month.  (In point of fact, I don’t quite have all of them in place myself yet, but I will within a couple of weeks!)

Did I mention yet that I have a non-fiction book coming out in September of 2011?  I do!  More about that next time as well.

Till next time faithful reader…Jack

Follow me on twitter

Connect with me on LinkedIn

“A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.” ~John Wooden