Four Easy Ways to Get a Book Written
(Especially If You Don't Like to Write)
BY MICHELLE McGEE-JONES
Becoming an author is probably a lot
easier than you think. It’s time to get that book out of your head and
onto the printed page. Ready? Boot out your excuses. Here’s how to do
it.
Method One: Think Quality, Not
Quantity. To be classified as a book – as opposed to a booklet or
pamphlet – your work needs a mere 49 pages (excluding the cover). Not
only that but, depending on your topic, you can be liberal with
photographs, charts, illustrations, bullet points, fill-in-the-blank
worksheets, etc. Use them strategically in place of text. If it fits
your theme, intersperse powerful quotations throughout your book, and
give them a page of their own, even if it’s only a line or two. Ditch
the perception that you have to have a minimum number of lines on each
page.
Method Two: Start Talking.
Invest in a tape recorder and shoot the breeze. I must admit that this
isn’t quite as easy as it sounds, but if you’re articulate and you have
skill at organizing your thoughts and ideas, it’s doable. Don’t try to
wing it. Break down your book into chapters. Then prepare a detailed
outline of each chapter. If it’s fiction you’re writing, outline the
plot. For nonfiction, along with your outline, have any additional
material handy that you want to refer to.
After you’re done, have a typist
transcribe the tape. Save it onto a floppy disk and give it to an
editor. She’ll polish the content. A variation of this method is to use
voice recognition software that turns your spoken words into text.
Method Three: Do an Anthology.
If you don’t want to go it alone – and you don’t mind sharing the
spotlight – have other writers contribute a chapter to your book. Then
you’ll have only a chapter to write yourself. Whether it’s a collection
of short stories or a manual of topics on your subject, this method
really lightens your load. Be sure to place each writer’s name on their
chapter’s byline.
Find other writers by asking for
referrals. Who to ask? Try the librarian at your local library, an
editor at your city’s newspaper, an English teacher at a nearby college,
or professionals in the subject area of your book. Or place a classified
ad in a writers’ magazine. And of course, be prepared to remunerate your
contributors.
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Method Four: Hire a Ghost. As I
stated in my book,
The Art of Hiring Someone to Write Your Book: A Step by Step Guide to
Successfully Collaborating (Instant Publisher, 2004), “A
ghostwriter will gather content for your book by handling research,
poring over books and articles, conducting interviews, and launching
Internet searches. They extract the information that best meets the
needs of your project, organizing it, reshaping it, and giving it a
creative twist. After they put it all together, they go over their own
work, polishing it to flawlessness. As the project develops, they invite
your input and seek your approval. Because you have the final say over
the project, they comply with whatever changes you suggest.”
Whichever method you opt for, happy
authoring. I’ll see you in print.
Michelle McGee-Jones is a freelance
business writer, marketing consultant and author of
The Art of Hiring Someone to Write Your Book: A Step by Step Guide to
Successfully Collaborating (Instant Publisher, 2004).
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