You’re all excited. You’ve got a great idea you’re sure will make a great book. OK so far. But what must happen for that great book to appear?
Sharpen Your Idea
Your idea isn’t new. As Mike LeBeouf said: “The great ideas are too important to be new.” So, evaluate what you’ve got.
See what others have said about it. Check out other books. Make your idea so clear you can state it in a sentence or two and an intelligent 15-year-old will understand it.
Make Key Decisions About the Book
Decide who will buy the book and why. If the audience is big enough, the project might be worth doing.
Decide what the book will do for you. How will your life and business be different once you have the book in your hands?
How Will You Get the Book Done?
There are two parts to this. One is the book itself. The other is the book project. You can do it all yourself, but you don’t have to. You can hire others to do some of the work.
You can hire a ghostwriter to write the whole thing. You can work with a writing partner to get the writing done or you can write it yourself with or without a book coach.
Then, there’s the book project. There will be decisions about cover and interior design, getting ISBN numbers, and engaging people to produce the book. Again, you can do it yourself or you can get help.
Write the Book
Most business books will take three or four revisions. You’ve probably heard the saying that “Great writing is rewriting.” It’s true.
You also must decide whether to use beta readers. Beta readers can help you make your book as good as it can be.
Have A Professional Edit Your Manuscript
This is not optional. None of us edits ourselves well enough to forego a professional edit.
Design and Produce the Book
Have a professional design your book cover. Do-it-yourself templates are not good enough if you want a great book.
Get a professional interior design. Unless you’re experienced, this should not be a do-it-yourself project.
Decide what forms the book will take. You can have a standard print book, an audio book, and an electronic book. Your print book can be traditionally printed or can be print-on-demand or both.
You’re Not Done Yet
You can do a great job turning your great idea into a book, but if no one buys, reads, and benefits from your book, all that work is down the drain. Promote your book aggressively.
Takeaways
A great idea is not enough for a great book.
You must plan your book and how to get it done.
You must write and revise and revise and revise your book.
You must design and produce your book.
You must promote and sell your book.