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How a Book is Born: One Author's
Story
Judy Cullins
© 2002
Not all books come out whole, all at once.
In fact, most books ease out little by little. They have strange
and wondrous beginnings. Some come from speeches, some come
from articles or short stories. The saying goes if you write
a short story or article every day, at the end of a year you'll
have a book--a big book at that! But then, why think so big?
In the beginning, I gave Speedreading and
Memory seminars. I didn't think of myself as an author, but
a teacher or trainer. I joined Toastmasters and National Speakers
Association and learned enough to strengthen my presentations
so I could speak to promote my personal growth skills business.
My audiences from corporate and community
education wanted handouts to take home with them. Seeing a need
I started to gather the handouts (articles), revise and edit
them to become short books. The articles came from my talks,
wide research, and my own experiences. I wrote the books I needed
and wanted to read. So can yours! Check out your files today,
and see what gems are in there.
These books were quick and easy to write because
they were only 10-60 pages long. I priced them accordingly,
but noticed monthly sales were brisk for all 20 short books.
I didn't try to impress with a perfect binding. I put them in
8 ½ by 11 ½ " format, held together by staples.
They sold well at the back-of- the-room, making up half of my
income for over 15 years.
The irony of my story is that I did write
a long book--sort of. At 160 pages, Passion at Any Age is complete,
but my passion for it has waned. It just took too long. I now
sell it in serial form, one chapter at a time through email.
I still sell the other print books, but today I prefer eBooks.
Today, I mostly sell how to write, publish, and promote books
Online, through email promotion or Web site sales.
My 20 years research into how to write a book
has come full circle. As a book coach, now, I encourage professionals
to write a book--just write a short book! Think 10-50 pages.
You need to write your book, and share your unique message,
but you also don't want to spend all of your time on it.
Begin your book today by writing an article
that answers one of your book audience's challenges or problems.
You can then, string the articles together. Each article that
has been expanded can become a chapter.
Before you know it, your book will grow. They
always grow longer than you think they will be. You will have
plenty of pages, and each page will deliver practical, inspirational
material to your new clients and customers concisely and directly--the
way they want it.
Remember, Offline and Online folks want information.
But, they no longer want to read hundreds of pages. They don't
want to spend time reading a long book.
Will business people buy your book? Yes! They
are hungry for information--information that only you have and
can say in your unique way. Will your book sell? Yes! With just
a few significances such as "presenting useful, practical
information," or "presenting material that could change
a life," or "creating a deeper understanding of human
nature," your book will be a great seller. .
Since book coaching for 20 years, one thing
I know for sure, my clients have many more ideas than they have
time to write a book about. Take one idea; write an article.
You'll feel a sense of completion. Don't worry how long it is
or its format. After you get four to ten of your articles edited,
you can bundle the related ones into a fine book--to sell electronically
or through print.
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Judy Cullins: author, publisher, book coach
Author of Ten Non-techie Ways to Market Your Book Online and
Write your eBook or Other Short Book-Fast!
http://www.bookcoaching.com/products.shtml
Email: Judy@bookcoaching.com
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