Before you put pen to paper it’s important to create a book writing plan keeping top of mind that your future readers are looking for authors who can share their knowledge and expertise while solving their most pressing problems. In order to break into the non-fiction market, you’ll want to have some steps in place.

Do it NOW, not later…

If you’ve stared at a blank screen long you might be feeling a little intimated about where to begin. It has been said that the two most difficult paragraphs to write are the start and the end of a book. Let’s start with the end in mind.

Writing is a step-by-step process that can be aided with the use of a well-crafted outline before fleshing out your work. In order to convey the right message to your readers, this is a necessary step that will help you stay focused and clear.

Here are a few tips on how to get off to a successful start in writing your first non-fiction business book.

1 – Who is your target market?

You are most likely very passionate about your book’s topic. But, who will be interested in reading it?

Answer these three questions:

1. Who is my book for?
2. How will this book serve my reader?
3. How does this book serve my life vision?

Once you have clarity. you’ll want to be thinking about whether you will present your idea to a traditional publisher or go the self-publishing route. In today’s traditional publishing world, unless you have a very large following on YouTube, Instagram, or a very large email list, I can save you some time by telling you that it’s very, very hard to secure a publishing deal now.

If you would like more editorial control along with being able to publish whenever you are ready, then you may want to consider the second option – self publishing. Books can be sold directly on your website and/or through an online platform like Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Most of the entrepreneurs I work with prefer this method.

2 – Do you have a unique idea?

Go online and research what others have written on your topic. This will enable you to come up with fresh ideas that have not been covered yet by the competition. Run some surveys and learn more about what your audience is seeking. Continued mining can lead you directly to that ‘Golden Idea’ that breaks through and stands out from the rest.

After you have a concept in mind take the time to write down different titles and scenarios. This will allow you to narrow down your results to one singular idea that your book will be based upon. In this process it’s important to choose the angle that not only best reflects your brand’s message, but also speaks to the very heart of your readers.

3 – How many pages do you want your book to be?

Once you have taken a look at similar books on your topic you should get a general idea of the length. whith your research in mind, begin to build your outline, which also will help to focus on a specific word count. 

Your time is money — choose a set amount of writing each day to get you to your final goal. For example, you can easily produce 1500 words a week by dedicating three days at 500 words per day.

Remember that this is just the start of the creative process. Later, once you have completed your first manuscript, editing and rewriting will be necessary in order to produce polished work. This early stage is not where you want to start editing yourself.

4 – Why do you need an outline first?

Think of this as the skeleton of your book upon which everything will be based. Remember all of those ideas that you wrote down? This is the time to sort all of those out in one succinct, step-by-step arrangement.

The central theme should follow the same pattern of any fictional book, and that is to draw the reader in through your compelling stories.

Use your own personal experiences and any customer case studies in order to take people through each chapter without it reading like a textbook.

5 – Organize your time

It’s important to stay organized throughout the writing and editing process. With the use of project management tools and spreadsheets, you can easily track your progress. Don’t be afraid to set deadlines for yourself if you are self-publishing your book.

Specific target points will really help you stay on task moving forward in your goals. This will also allow you to manage other things like important meetings, sales calls, ect.

As an entrepreneur or business leader, let’s harness your workday, which now includes your book project.

Let’s get started

After mining for your unique golden idea and creating an outline for the points you will cover in your book, consider writing an Introduction that will begin your book. This can set the stage and reel your readers into Chapter 1.

Either way, the first paragraph of your book should be compelling and exciting. What story can you tell that sets the stage for what you share in your book?

Allow yourself to go through the creative process, and save the editing and rewrites for the end of the project, not the beginning.

There will be days when your writing will seem to flow magically and others where it feels dull. Celebrate each step, — this is all part of the normal process. As you continue to move forward your own unique writing style will start to appear.

I’m finished – now what?

Once you have a completed manuscript in place you will either be working with a literary agent, an independent publishing company or begin the process of self-publishing.

To learn more about this topic, watch this short video: Self Publishing VS Traditional Publishing Beginner’s Guide

It’s time to share your amazing wisdom with your audience with a book that helps them and positions you as a subject matter leader.