My Book Writing Formula (As of March 2016)
When I finally finish the project that the last few articles have talked about, I’m going to jump write into a new project: one which involves a lot more writing and a lot less messing around with tech stuff.
I love building websites and doing related geekery things, but it gets boring long before you ever finish a project. So the first thing I’m going to do with the next experiment is a pretty novel concept for a writer: I’m going to write a book.
I think it goes without saying that writing a book is a great activity for writers to do, and writers should all write a book at some point during their career. So this article isn’t going to talk about that again; books are great… write them.
What I’m going to talk about is my process for coming up with a book, from initial idea to completion. It’s the process I’ve used to write books thus far, and it works in the sense that I’ve published books and those books have made money for me, so I guess that’s pretty good.
SUPER SECRET BOOK WRITING FORMULA PART I: Initial Idea
I’m an introverted, rational-type person. I like having a plan, I like sticking to it and I like it when it works. So if you’re a writer that throws caution to the wind and waits for your muse to get there and inspire you, the following few sentences will probably make you cry. Sorry.
I get book ideas in the same way I get website ideas. For more of these, see What’s a Good Idea For A Niche Site and This Triangle Will Make You a Billion Dollars. If you’re a pure fiction writer, I don’t think I’ve written an article about idea generation for fiction yet, but you could start with my review of Plotto, which is an amazing book that will mean you never run out of fiction ideas. (That’s not hyperbole either.)
If you’re in a hurry or afraid of reading any more than you have to, follow this blueprint:
- Think of your problems, issues or stuff you want to be awesome at. Write about those. Or…
- Pick a popular market for information or fiction. Something like “make money” or “romance novels.”
- Find a market that is underserved in terms of this niche but would still buy. Think big first (men or women,) and then drill down until you find unsaturated markets (romance novels for geeky guys who like aliens… or something else.)
You get the general idea.
Book Writing Formula: The Boring Research Part
Chances are you’re not going to think, “I know… I’ll write the best ever book on this subject” and then jump in and finish the manuscript in twenty-four hours with no prior knowledge of the subject.
Find books in your niche. Read them quickly from cover to cover. If you have Kindle Unlimited, then you can read hundreds of books for free. The books don’t have to be good. They don’t have to be best-sellers. You’re looking for two things:
- You need to understand the structure of books in the genre.
- You need to understand the breadth/depth/nature of the subject info, how it’s addressed and most importantly What is missing?
You should take a lot of notes about this. The better your research, the better your book is going to be. If there are no books in your genre, then pick the closest genre.
Only once you’ve done the research can you move on to the next step.
Book Writing Formula: The Structure
We’re moving on to the part of the book writing formula where we actually start to create a book. I say that loosely, because you’re not going to start writing yet. But doing some research should have taken you a few hours. If you’ve read a few books and you’ve taken your original ideas, you’ll probably have a lot of stuff that you can put together in some form of structure.
Now it’s time to do that.
If you’re writing fiction, then you’ll have a template for character arcs and general plot arcs from your reading. Create your own from these.
If you’re writing non-fiction, think in terms of a start point and end point: When your target market opens their book, they’ll be at a specific point in their life. When they close your book, they’ll be at a different point. What will they have learned?
The Best Part Of The Book Writing Formula: Writing It
If you’ve followed the above few steps, then this is the easy part. If you’re writing about things you’re interested in, then it’ll be even easier. The above three steps are designed to make the writing process as seamless and fast as possible. You should have:
- A great idea for a book that serves a target market that exists.
- A set of do’s/don’ts for the genre/market, as well as a set of topics that NOBODY HAS COVERED BEFORE
- A definitive structure that includes everything from the above sections.
Write away at this point. I suggest creating chapters that you’re happy to do in a single session. For instance, I can usually write about two thousand words before I get bored or need a break. So if I have a book idea, I’ll plan for forty chapters at 2000 words each. It means I don’t stop halfway through a thought or section.
No Book Writing Formula Would Be Complete Without Tying Off The Loose-Ends
If you’re at this point, you’ve written a full manuscript. You’ve got a book that’s above your target market’s expectations and the competition’s products. Congratulations.
Unfortunately, you have the boring stuff to deal with.
You need to edit your book or send it to an editor. Really, you should aim to get your first draft perfect because re-writing is a chore and poor practice. But inevitably you’ll miss typos. Find them. Read your book through a few times and get as many as you can.
You need to organise a book cover. Luckily, you can get good ones on freelance websites or hire someone to do it for not-a-lot of money. Remember to factor this into your breakeven for each book project.
You’ll need to stick it all together and upload it to whichever websites you’re selling from. In general, this should be as many different vendors as possible.
Finally, you’ll need to write the copy for your book, whether that’s an Amazon blurb or a long-form sales letter.
At that point, the book writing process is pretty much complete. You’ll have to market it and whatnot, but that’s beyond the scope of this article and potentially a lifetime’s work.