| 10 Book Writing
Mistakes That Stop Your Dream In Its Tracks, P1 Invest time ito learn about book writing... Did you start writing your book and quit? Yes, I know you're not a quitter. Like many of us, you may be making some simple mistakes that block your book's progress and success. Correct the following mistakes; complete your book and prosper: Mistake 1: Failure to start small Inexperienced book writers aim too high. Don't try to fit everything you know or researched into a one big book. Plan too big and you may end up with a monster book that turns your potential readers off. Remember many people in the new millennium are busy and impatient. They look for short, quick easy reads. Solution: Plan a short book first. If you have loads of interesting information, consider breaking your book into parts. Even a series of books is better than one large volume in the non-fiction genre. Mistake 2: Failure to educate oneself about book writing Many novice book writers fail to educate themselves about book writing. If you've never traveled this road before, enroll in a book writing course. If you have little time, sign up for an email course to jumpstart your writing. Invest in your book project by hiring a professional editor to edit your work. Solution: Invest time to learn about book writing. A client of mine said, "I want to invest in my work but I have no budget to start with." No worries; more book writers than you know have started with a low to no-string budget. Enroll in free book writing courses. Invest time in learning to self-edit your work until you can afford to hire a professional. Mistake 3: Failure to target your audience If you fail to pinpoint who you are writing for, your chapters will lack focus. Your copy will fail to connect with readers. If you do manage to hook your readers, most won't make it to the end of your book. Beginning writers who make this mistake bore their readers with flat, lack luster writing. Solution: Target your book audience. Create a profile of your reader. Write down their complaints, their needs and/or problems that your book solves. Write your book to that person. You will have tight focused copy that compels your reader to keep reading to the end.
Mistake 4: Failure to develop a sizzling title and back cover first Most newbie book writers stall at this one. They don't realize a hot title helps the author stay motivated. Writing the back cover first helps crystallize your book's message. With a clear message in front, you can write compelling copy that draws your readers to keep reading. Solution: Develop a hot title and back cover first to write tight focused copy that sells. A hot title includes the top benefit of the book. It is usually short, clear and/or tells a story. Mistake 5 Failure to keep writing in the midst of everyday life Many writers believe you have to get away from everything to write
a successful book. No you don’t. I know several novelist and
non-fiction book writers who had to write during a long commute
to get their best book written and out to the world. They accomplished
it because they systematically worked on their book until it was
done. =========== © Earma Brown, 13 year author and business owner
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