you’re an expert, now write a book
Nicole Breit and Doris Chung
Copyright 2014 Doris Chung & Nicole Breit. All rights reserved. Nicole Breit Co-Author & Copy Editor Doris Chung Co-Author & Designer 978-0-9936905-1-8 ISBN All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or in any means – by electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission.
table of contents Why Write A Book 5 How To Write A Book 7 Book Writing Strategies 9 Create A Routine 9 Getting Organized 9 Brainstorm Your Ideas 10 Your Book Mind Map 10 Building Your Book Outline 12 Drafting Your Chapters 12 Hiring A Ghostwriter 13 The Editing Process 14 Working With A Publishing Consultant 15 A Step By Step Guide To Printing Publishing 17 Other Considerations 19 Printing Timelines 20 Getting An Isbn 20 Marketing And Promotion 20 Finding The Right Print Publisher For You 21 Bios 22 Testimonials 24
Why Write A Book
Hailed by many as the new business card, a self-published book can do great things for you and your career. Books allow you to share your expertise with a wider audience, attract new clients and even earn some passive income. If you want to give them away, the cost per book isn’t much higher than a personalized pen but offer much more value and a greater return on investment. For aspiring or established speakers, your own published book is a must. It will help raise your profile in the professional community and can even help you land speaking engagements. If you’re serious about writing and publishing your book -- and you’ve picked up this one to learn how -- congratulations! In the coming pages you’ll learn from a self-published author and print publishing expert how to write and publish your first book so you can realize your goal of becoming an author. We’ll walk you through the steps to completing your first draft, and tell you what you need to know about how the print publishing process works. We’ll even give you some tips on how to find a print publishing company that’s right for you. By the end of our book we hope you’ll have an action plan in place to take the next step. It’s an exciting journey to finally be on your way to holding your very own book in your hands! Warmly,
& PS If at the end of the book you still have questions about the writing and publishing process, please get in touch! We’d love to hear from you.
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How To Write A Book
Many aspiring authors have great ideas for their book but feel overwhelmed when they think about how to actually write it. If you’ve never been through the process, it can seem an enormous hurdle just to get through the first draft. But even professional writers deal with writer’s block from time to time. And they get over it by breaking down their project into small parts -- and sitting down, regularly, to do the work. In Bird By Bird, author Anne Lamott describes her father’s advice to her brother, struggling to complete a report on birds that was due the next morning. Her father encouraged him to keep going by saying, “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.” And that’s the secret to writing any book. If you think of the entire project as a whole, it feels too intimidating to start. You need to have a sense of the big picture, write down your plan, create an outline, then break the project down into small pieces. Then it’s just a matter of taking each piece one at a time. If you can set aside 30 minutes a day to work on your book, you may be surprised how quickly you complete your draft. Some writers like to set a timer. If they feel inspired after the timer rings, they keep going. Sometimes taking a stretch at the half hour mark or going for a walk can get the juices flowing again. The other thing to remember is the importance of routine. When you work a little bit every day, you’ll stay engaged with the project and reduce the risk that you’ll abandon it when distractions present themselves.
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Book Writing Strategies If there’s one thing most writers agree on, it’s first drafts. They may be the hardest part about writing. But Often writer’s block is just a dread of getting started. Once you get going and trust the process, it gets easier. And when you have something on paper to work with, editing and rewriting -- a large part of the writing process -- are much easier. You’ll be able to see what’s missing and what isn’t needed. And then you’ll be able to refine your book into something valuable for your audience that you can be proud of. If you’re considering writing a book, these strategies can help you complete your first draft. And remember: no first draft is a work of art! Drafts are meant to be reworked and refined before they are ready for that final proofread.
Create A Routine We’ve already talked about setting aside time each day and how important it is to be consistent when you start a book project. Your routine should be realistic for you -- not something you hate doing. If the idea of waking up at 5am makes you cringe, how successful will you be by setting that goal for yourself? Writing for 15 minutes on your lunch hour, on the subway, or in the evening are doable for most of us, even during busy weeks. Many writers use rituals to help them settle into the right state of mind for working on their projects. A brisk walk, a cup of tea, closing your office door -- think of a pleasant cue you can use to give your brain the message that it’s time to get down to work. And don’t forget to log out of your email and social media accounts and turning off your phone! You want to set aside focused time to maximize the time you spend writing.
Getting Organized If you’ve been thinking about your book project for a while, you may already have notes, sketches or research materials to work from. Review what you’ve got and highlight the points you think you can use. Jot down ideas you don’t want to forget on index cards, which can be sorted into order later when you have an outline. Or compile your info into a word document to copy and paste from when you begin to write.
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Brainstorm Your Ideas You may have a hundred ideas spinning in your head for your first book. You’ll need to be able to sort through them, sift out the ones that may work better in another book, discard the ones that aren’t relevant, and generate some new ones that will enhance your book. Mind mapping is a way of representing visually all the ideas kicking around in your head. The great thing about making a mind map is that it frees up the creative side of your brain. You’ll generate more ideas, make connections and literally “see” how your book can come together. Mind mapping requires a willingness to write down every idea, without censoring anything. You’ll use the analytical side of your brain later to outline a sequence of chapters. If you want to learn more about mind mapping, there are many good books on the subject. There are also apps available if you want to generate them on your laptop. You may prefer to work with a pen and paper, though. Once you start mapping you may find your mind works more quickly than you can type!
Your Book Mind Map The first thing you need to decide before mind mapping is the central idea or theme for your book. Maybe at this point it’s fairly general. Let’s say you want to write a “how to” book on marketing. But marketing is a very broad topic. You’ll want to narrow it down a bit for your audience. Will your book be on marketing for small business owners? Will it be about online marketing for beginners? A guide that reveals the latest research on marketing psychology? Once you know your book’s focus, think about your audience. Knowing who your audience is and what they want to know will help you shape your book idea even more.
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Now it’s time to flesh out what it is, specifically, you want to share with your audience. Write your book idea in the centre of a blank page, like this:
Now brainstorm the topics relevant to theme of your book. Branch out from the centre with anything that comes to mind. The only rule here is not to edit yourself. Just allow the ideas to build on each other. When an idea comes up that is linked to a subtopic, connect it with a line.
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Building Your Book Outline Once you have your map the next step is to transfer your ideas into a structured outline. Think of this as your first crack at a Table of Contents. A basic structure for your outline, based on the very basic mind map above, might include: Table of Contents Introduction To Small Business Marketing Chapter 1: How To Use Content Marketing To Attract New Clients Chapter 2: The Best Advertising Is Free: Social Media Tips Chapter 3: Writing Newsletters That Sell Chapter 4: Blogging For Small Business Chapter 5: Networking Tips For Every Business Owner Acknowledgements About The Author Once you have your outline in place, it’s a matter of filling in the blanks.
Drafting Your Chapters Each of your chapters should have an introductory paragraph and answer just one key question, supported by three to four points. Your conclusion should cue a transition to your next chapter. For example: Chapter 1: How To Use Content Marketing To Attract New Clients Question: What are top three most effective and economical ways to promote a small business with content marketing?
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Introduction: Explain why content marketing is simple, economical and effective for small business owners. List the content marketing tools you’ll examine in depth in your chapter. Example 1: Blogging (including guest posts, video blogs) Example 2: Articles Example 3: Ebooks Sample Conclusion: The most important thing to remember about content marketing is consistency and promotion. Next we’ll learn how to use social media to market your small business. If you use this structure for writing your book, taking each chapter one at a time and providing useful information organized logically and sequentially, you’ll soon have a completed manuscript -- and a good reason to celebrate! We highly recommend that you follow the pre-writing steps, too, for brainstorming and mind mapping. They can really help you organize your thoughts and structure them before you sit down to write, making your writing time more efficient.
Hiring A Ghostwriter For some professionals who just don’t have the time, patience or desire to write their own book, hiring a ghostwriter can be an excellent solution. A ghostwriter can help you shape your ideas into a manuscript, capturing your voice and turning out a book you’ll be proud to publish under your name. And that’s the beauty of working with a ghostwriter -- someone else does the work and you get the credit. Working with a ghostwriter is an investment of time and money. Although you’ll free up the hours it would take to write your own book, you’ll still need to be available for manuscript consultations, to provide feedback, approve revisions and finalize everything. If you’ve never worked with a writer before, you’ll want to speak to a few before getting started. Word of mouth referrals are great if you know someone who’s worked with a ghostwriter before. You can also try a LinkedIn search to find a local writer, or the Professional Writer’s Association of Canada directly for a good lead for your project.
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The Editing Process Whether you’ve written your manuscript or hired someone to do it for you, you’re not ready to go to print until you’ve had someone look it over for you. Editors are a very important part of the publishing process and their contributions shouldn’t be underestimated. You’ll thank your editor for catching embarrassing errors, fact checking, correcting misspelled words and improving the overall flow of your work. Perhaps the biggest reason you should hire a professional editor is because your credibility as an author depends on an error-free, professionally polished text. An experienced editor can help you: • Correct inconsistencies, redundancies, inaccuracies and typos • Ensure the flow and voice are consistent • Improve transitions between chapters • Suggest additional information that would strengthen the manuscript • Provide helpful suggestions for improving the text overall Some print publishing companies (like ours!) can refer you to an experienced editor. You can also search for editors on LinkedIn and the Editor’s Association of Canada website.
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Working With A Publishing Consultant
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It’s time to take the next step -- turning your manuscript into a real book. There are a number of options available for authors from print on demand online publishers like Amazon, Lulu and Blurb to established brick and mortar businesses who specialize in print publishing. For authors who want a personalized and customized experience, the advantages of working with a print publishing company greatly outweigh the limited options of print on demand. With a print publisher your book can be designed to spec, with a lot more choices for customization. Another benefit of working with an established print publishing company is the range of services offered and personalized customer service. For instance, some of the services Publisher Production Solutions can help you with include: • Print consulting • Graphic design • Photography • Art direction • Ghostwriting • Proofreading/Editing • Marketing When you’re considering a publishing consultant company, be sure to speak with their in-house print consultant. There’s no better way to find out what’s possible for your book. Because the sky’s the limit, we ask our clients to walk through a bookstore before our consult, to help them get a feel for what they want in advance. Then we offer advice and recommendations so their book meets their hopes and expectations.
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A Step By Step Guide To Printing Publishing If you’ve never worked with a print publishing company, you may wonder about the process of taking a manuscript through to a finished book. Please note that the information provided below applies to companies that work with an overseas printer (as we do). The process will vary depending on the print company. Here is a brief run down of each step, so you know exactly what to expect when you work with a publishing consultant. We’ve also illustrated the entire manuscript to book process in our diagram below. • Meet with a publishing consultant who can make suggestions and recommendations on your project and refer you to an experienced designer, either in-house or external. • Discuss book design, layout and cover art with an experienced designer. • Decide on the format for an ebook if you’d like to publish in this formatan electronic version as well. Your publishing consultant may provide an ebook conversion service, so be sure to ask. • Get a quote, now that you know exactly what you want for your book. If you’re not sure what you want, find a book that has already been produced. It’s a great starting point for discussion with your print consultant. • Place your order. You’ll need to provide PDF files to get started and a deposit (typically 50% of the total project cost). • Prepress: If your files are free of technical issues, your publishing consultant company will arrange for colour proofs and send them to you for approval. If the files have issues, they’ll be sent back to you so you can submit new ones. Once you return your approved output proofs to the printer, it goes into the queue for printing. If the files aren’t approved, a correction file must be completed; typically this extends the timeline by a week to 10 days. Correction proofs are sent by email and once approved, go to print. Expect about 3-6 weeks for production (depending if it on whether it’sis printed domestically or overseas). *Just remember that schedules are subject to change from both parties. Advance copies of your completed book project are sent to you, and shortly after, your books will be shipped! Now that you have your book in your hands, it’s time to celebrate with a bottle of champagne and plans for your book launch! - 17 -
Other Considerations
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Printing Timelines The timelines for taking a book from manuscript to print can vary greatly. There are a lot of people and activities involved in the production of a book, and unexpected delays can arise for a number of reasons -- corrupt files, delays with payment, a lengthy approval process and overseas shipping delays to name a few. Because the estimated arrival date of your books is just an estimate, we always recommend that you hold off on planning any book talks, events or celebrations until after you’ve received your shipment.
Getting an ISBN An International Standard Book Number (or ISBN) is an identifying number issued to help simplify the purchase and distribution of books globally. ISBNs are used by retailers to track inventory and, from an author standpoint, having one improves the odds that your book will be found on the web or in stores. In Canada, you can register your ISBN for free via the Collections Canada website at http:// www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/ciss-ssci/index-e.html. The interactive site will walk you through the information you need to provide, step by step. You can also ask your print publisher for support with obtaining an ISBN for your book.
Marketing and Promotion A large part of the success of your book comes down to your marketing efforts. Successful authors use a number of on and offline marketing techniques to draw attention to their books including blogging, free seminars, press releases, article distribution, social media marketing, and more. Although your print publisher may not offer consulting services to help you come up with a comprehensive marketing plan for your book, they can probably help steer you in the right direction.
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Finding The Right Print Publisher For You There is a lot of competition out there in the self-publishing world. But what most authors find is there isn’t a lot of variance when it comes to the cost of printing a book when comparing apples to apples. The right print publishing company for you will depend entirely on your needs and desires for your book. You’ll want to look into a few companies before coming to a decision, and find a company that meets your unique and specific needs. Some of the benefits of working with an established local company you may want to consider are: • All-in-one solutions (writing, proofreading, editing, design) • Add on services • Customizable options • Personalized service and support • Better value than alternative print services Now that you know how to turn your book idea into a published product, it’s time to take the next step! Why not get in touch and tell us about your project? We’re here to answer your questions and help you make your dream of becoming an author a reality. Send us an email at info@publisher-ps.com or call us at (416) 804-8930. We look forward to hearing from you!
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Bios
Nicole Breit Nicole Breit is a freelance writer and editor based in Vancouver. She founded her company, Sparrow Writing + Editorial Services, in 2012. Specializing in online marketing, she produces compelling, shareable blog posts, articles, marketing materials and e-books for her clients. Nicole is the co-author of her own self-published e-book, “Communicating with Confidence: The Creative, Ambitious Entrepreneur’s Guide To Better Business Writing”. The former editor of Mom Inc Movement and Thrifty and Green online magazines, Nicole’s writing has also appeared in West Coast Families, Still Standing and Exhale Literary Magazine.
Doris Chung Doris Chung studied photography and graphic design at the Ontario College of Art & Design, graduating in 1997. She worked alongside her parents, uncles and grandfather at Everbest Canada/Everbest Printing Co Ltd/Aprinco Book Bindery in production and sales over the past 20 years. She’s taken her education plus her background in printing and binding and founded Publisher Production Solutions in 2011, bringing her eye for design, knowledge of prepress and printing to help self publishing authors bring their books to life. As well, she’s been working with a number of entrepreneurs in Toronto and parts of Canada to produce their business cards, marketing material and signage. She’s your one stop shop for all your printing needs.
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Testimonials
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Nicole Breit
I’ve relied on Nicole for multiple writing projects, and have always been thrilled with her work. She has that rare combination of technical know how and creative skill that produces copy that my clients are always happy with. As someone who works with outsourced writers frequently, I also appreciate her timeliness, attention to detail and communication skills. I am so glad we connected and I look forward to our future work together.� ~Courtney Ramirez, 6 Degrees Marketing Nicole is very skilled in the art of writing, proofreading, and editing. She is always professional, and I was impressed with the quality and timely edit of my work. I would certainly use her services again, and recommend her to others. ~Karen Watson, Illustrator & Visual Effects Artist Nicole is a savvy, creative writer who has been contributing to the Women in Biz Network web site for the past year. Her content is interesting, informative and inspires feedback and comments from the entrepreneurial community. It has been a pleasure to work with Nicole and I would highly recommend her writing and editorial services. ~Leigh Mitchell, Women In Biz Network
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Doris Chung
Doris is a knowledgable print broker. She has helped me through the scary and stressful move from printing domestically to printing overseas. We have worked together for numerous projects for my company and each time, the process has been smooth, and any problems have been quickly solved by Doris and her printing team. I highly recommend Doris for all your printing needs. ~Lindsay Harris, Glowbaby.ca Doris worked with me on the Art in Survival Project. She was quite knowledgeable through the whole process, always willing to answer any questions or concerns I had, and made herself available even while away from work. I look forward to collaborating on future projects with Doris. ~Jennifer Pomerleau, Publisher Art in Survival, Co-founder at Bridal Ball, Artist Director -Steve Pomerleau Photography It has been my pleasure doing business with Everbest Printing Co Ltd. Their representative in Canada, Doris Chung, has been very helpful and patient getting me through the detailed process of preparing my book for printing. I would also like to thank the Everbest team in China for working well with me. Having received my advance copies I am delighted with the quality of my book Tossed Pebbles, Living Words & Images. The paper choices, binding and colour reproduction have been terrific. I’m so happy with the finished product. I highly recommend Doris Chung to all self-published authors and any others looking for fine quality at very reasonable prices. ~Roderick Ayres, self-published author, Tossed Pebbles, Living Words & Images
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Published in Toronto, ON Canada