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Congratulations on your book!

These are words that I’ve heard a lot over the past few months. Since my book came out.

And I know that when you say that to me, there’s a small part of you that wants to how I did it. What it took. Because maybe you’ve thought about writing a book. But you didn’t quite finish it yet. Or maybe you finished it but now you don’t know where to go next.

Well, I want to tell you that it’s not that difficult. And that you can soon be hearing those words yourself.

What is it about a book?

I don’t quite know what it is about a book. But I do know that we love them. And we want to applaud the achievement of those people who get their books out.

Is it the emotional connection with our childhood? Our love of reading or being read to?

Or the respect we have for books as a teaching tool? As a statement of expert credibility?

Or is it just the process of writing? The creative expression? Or the completion of a sizeable project?

Whatever it is I find that people around me are very happy for me. They are ever so slightly in awe of the achievement. And inside many of them probably want to do it too.

How to turn “someday” into reality

According to the surveys I looked up, between 60% and 80% of us want to write books. Yeah, OK those surveys were sponsored by the publishing industry in the main. But even so, I still get the feeling from the groups I’m in and the people I meet that a lot of us want to do it.

That desire for self expression and distinction runs pretty high. But I digress…

Assuming you want to write your book, the obvious question is –

I know what stoppd ME for so long. I’ve been through those times of saying to myself, “I’ll write a book…someday.”

But I turned it around. I actually wrote the book. I got it up on Amazon kindle. And Apple iBook. And the nook. And six other digital platforms.

And the single biggest factor in moving me from someday to right now was a small but significant mental shift.

What’s your expectation of a book anyway?

The shift for me was all around the expectation of a book.

I realised that a book didn’t have to be what I thought it had to be. It didn’t have to be in hard copy – yet. It didn’t have to be 500+ pages and three years of research. And another two years of trying to find an agent and beating down on the oak-panelled doors of the publishing industry.

If I wanted to publish, I could just do it. I could make the decision and just do it myself.

It didn’t have to be the tome I thought it had to be. Quantity does not have to equal quality. My other half recently came home with a very short book. Barely a few thousand words. But high quality words. And I know that it’s actually harder to write a short book than it is a long book. It’s in the editing.

Anyway my point is that your book doesn’t have to be what you think it has to be. It doesn’t have to be your complete masterpiece.

Re-frame your expectations

Your book just needs to tell the world what you want to say today. You don’t need to include everything you ever want to say in a lifetime. There’s time for more books.

Make it happen

Change the word “someday” to next week, next month, July, December. Ask yourself what it would take to get this book out. And how would that feel?

Because I can tell you that it feels great when someone congratulates you on your book.

So – what’s stopping you?

So, what’s stopping you?

Is it the time? The overwhelming size of the project? How will you fit it all in? Where to start?

The uncertainty? The question you might be asking yourself “what if nobody reads it?”

The expectation, like me, of what your book needs to be?

The technology. Access to information. Know-how.

The marketing – how would I promote it?

Or just that you didn’t prioritise it yet in your overall plan?

Let me help…

I’d love to help you get it out there. I know how great it feels. And I know how it fits into my business. There’s a strategy as well as an action required.

I have an online course that walks you through choosing what to write about, how to make the writing easy, and how to get your book up on kindle and selling. Just click the link to find out How To Publish Your Book On Kindle.

I want you to hear those words “Congratulations on your book.” I want you to share in the glory of being ‘an author’. Even in a small way. Your way.

Let’s start shifting some of those blocks for you!

What would it take for you to get just a small piece of your knowledge and wisdom into a book format and out on the electronic publishing platforms? I’d love you to leave a comment below and let me know! And you too can learn how to Publish Your Book On Kindle.

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