And as a first-time author, you’re nervous about this new journey because you want first-time success (who doesn’t?).
But today’s publishing industry has become noisy. There is endless information out there on how to write a book, and with the rise of self-publishing, it can be overwhelming, to say the least.
If you’re ready to take the leap, become an author, and learn how to write a book the right way, start with this resource to get your wheels in motion.
As a first-time bestselling author, I can tell you that writing my first book was one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences of my life.
I experienced a lot of growth and pushed through many hurdles, and being able to learn how to publish is something I am truly proud of.
And I’m ready to share the steps of how to write a book with you, so that you can go on to write a book of your own, and find success as a first-time author.
Ready to learn how to write a book? Let’s get to it!
Need A Nonfiction Book Outline?
In this article, we’ll start with the basics. While the steps in this phase may seem to be unrelated to actually learning how to write a book, they are very important.
In fact, setting yourself up for success will help you build the foundation needed to start writing a book.
We’ll talk about developing a writer’s mindset to get you in a frame of mind that’s conducive to writing. Then, we’ll discuss how to create a writing space that will boost your writing productivity, and how to choose the best book writing software for your needs.
Here are some tips for success as you write a book:
Learning how to write a book takes time, work, and dedication. It’s easy to romanticize becoming a bestseller like J.K. Rowling or Octavia Butler. However, every author has a story on how they started out and overcame adversity to get where they are today.
For example, Rowling, who had no job and was on welfare at the time, would take her children to a coffee shop and write.
Butler, who was a dishwasher and potato chip inspector at the time, would wake up at two or three in the morning to write and wrote herself mantras to keep her focused on her goals.
The first steps in learning how to write a book are overcoming mindset blocks, dealing with self-doubt as a writer, and developing a healthy frame of mind that will help you with your writing goals.
Let’s review three things you can do to circumvent roadblocks and crush challenges to keep you focused on your goal.
It’s not good enough to write only when inspiration strikes. There will be days when writing is the last thing you want to be doing.
But you have to treat your writing as if it were a job, or a duty. This means holding yourself accountable, taking action, and showing up every day.
Here’s how to hold yourself accountable to writing:
I write early in the morning before I do anything else for 1-2 hours. I find that as I go throughout the day and work on other projects my mind isn’t as fresh or sharp by the end of the day. However, sometimes I have ideas throughout the day that I jot down in Evernote to jump-start the next morning with a working outline.
This might sound silly, but it’s true: in order to learn how to write a book, you need to give yourself permission to be a writer. Many aspiring authors get stuck in their mindset, which prevents them from initiating and completing their writing projects.
Even successful authors feel like they aren’t good enough. Acknowledge your feelings, but then shake them off, and move on with your day.
Hear this: You don’t have to be an expert to learn how to write a book. You don’t have to feel 100% confident to be a good writer. You don’t even have to be all-knowing to teach others about your experiences or knowledge.
Here’s how to give yourself permission to be a writer:
The best way to hold yourself accountable for your work is to let others know your goals. Is there someone you trust or a group of people in your network you can appoint to check in on your progress?
Perhaps there is someone who is a seasoned writer who can serve as a mentor. If so, try to have regular check-ins with this person.
One way to keep these meetings consistent is to schedule a lunch or coffee date. Talk about your progress and perhaps any challenges you’re facing. They may be able to bring a fresh perspective.
I told my wife, Ariele, and several of my closest teammates from work about my intentions to write my first book. We had regular check-ins to talk about progress. Everyone helped keep me motivated and had different feedback for me. Without them, it would have been a lot more difficult to write Inbound Content in the timeframe I did.
The second step in how to write a book has to do with your environment. Where you choose to write will have a major impact on your writing productivity.
Find creative spaces where you can produce your best writing.
Sure, some might argue that they can write anywhere as long as they have the tools to write. But where we choose to write plays a huge role in our writing motivation and focus.
Questions to think about: Where do you work best? What surroundings inspire you most? Identify them and make it a best practice to work there consistently.
Here are creative writing spaces to write your book:
My main writing location is the dinette in my Airstream. I do my best work when traveling; I wrote the manuscript for my book in six weeks as I traveled the U.S. and worked full time from the road.
The next step in how to write a book has to do with writing tools.
In 1882, Mark Twain sent to a publisher the first manuscript to be written on a piece of technology that would transform the writing industry: the typewriter.
Nowadays, we have computers with word processing and the internet where you can find an endless assortment of useful book-writing software and apps that are meant to help you be an efficient and effective writer. If you’re writing a novel, check out this guide to novel writing software.
You may be tempted to overload on apps because you think it’ll help elevate your writing. But honestly, less is more. The truth is that the right tools and even self-publishing companies make writing and publishing easier and more enjoyable.
Instead of overwhelming you with all the possible apps in existence, below is a list of three tools I recommend adding to your writing toolkit today (and they’re free).
Google Drive is one of the most versatile cloud storage services available today. But Google Drive is so much more than cloud storage. Here’s a list of ways you can use Google Drive to help you write your book:
Plus, Google will give you 15GB of free storage just for signing up.
If you’re new to Google Drive, here’s a list of resources that can turn you into a pro. (FYI, if you have a Gmail account, you have a Google Drive account.)
Grammarly is an editing tool that helps you identify grammatical errors, typos, and incorrect sentence structure in your writing.
Download the web extension and Grammarly will edit most anything you type in a web browser (yes, it will work with Google Docs).
You can check out this Grammarly review if you’re on the fence about this one.
Inspiration can strike at any time. Capture those thoughts and ideas as they happen in Evernote. You can even sync Google Drive and Evernote. I recommend doing this, especially on your mobile device.
Don’t underestimate the power of good ole’ fashioned pen and paper when it comes to learning how to write a book, which is arguably the only essential writing tool out there.
Even if you write your entire manuscript on a trusty writing software program, you’ll still want to have a dedicated notebook available for the times when inspiration strikes and you can’t access a computer.
Every writer should have a notebook handy for random ideas and thoughts. You can jot these down in your notebook, then revisit them and digitally store them in your book-writing software when you’re back at the computer.
Now we’ll move on to how to actually start writing a book. This is the part that seems simple, but can be more difficult than you realize.
However, once you get through the process of actually writing your book, you will gain momentum to finish it, and eventually publish it.
Learning how to write a book starts with an idea. What’s your book idea?
Maybe you already know exactly what you want to write about. Or maybe you have a million ideas floating on in your head, but you don’t know exactly where to start.
One of the most common pieces of advice for aspiring first-time authors is: “Write what you know.” A simple phrase that’s meant to be helpful, yet it begs so many questions.
If you’re struggling with a book idea, try jumpstarting your creativity by experimenting with these writing prompts.
Whether you’re writing a non-fiction how-to guide or a fictional post-apocalyptic thriller, you need to form a connection with your audience — and you can do that through emotion. The best way to create emotion with your reader is to understand them.
Here’s how to determine what you want to write about and how to write it in a meaningful way.
The key to producing meaningful content is understanding your reader. You can do this by creating a reader persona — a semi-fictional representation of your ideal audience.
To get started with your reader persona, consider answering the following questions:
The more you know about your reader, the better experience you can create for them.
When you start learning how to write a book, you have to make your book about the reader. What do they need to know in order to learn what you have to say?
My main audience is marketers and business owners at small-to-medium-sized businesses. They’re strapped for time and don’t need another theoretical resource. They value real-world examples to help visualize what tips and strategies look like in action.
You need to write about something that spikes your curiosity, something that keeps you coming back day after day. Something that lights you up and that you’re invested in.
I can’t stress the importance of this enough. If you choose a topic to write about for the wrong reason, don’t expect to create something that people will love.
You need to be able to stick with it through dry spells and bouts of non-inspiration. Your own desire to hear the story will be what drives you through learning how to write a book.
In our digital age, we can conveniently research topics from the comfort of our own homes.
Google makes it easy to research just about any topic.
Here’s a list of ways to research your book concept on Google:
I performed extensive research before writing the manuscript for Inbound Content. It was important for me to understand what content was already out there, which content was performing well, and most importantly, how could I make my book unique. This is exactly why I included homework after each chapter to help my readers build an action plan that they could implement immediately, something I noticed wasn’t typical in other marketing books.
Writing your first book is invaluable because it’s a serious learning experience. The process of actually writing a book and completing it will make this book a personal success for you, because of how much you will learn about yourself and your craft in the process.
Don’t get hung up on a topic. If you’re struggling with deciding what to write about first, go with the topic that you know best. Choose a topic or experience that you can write about quickly, with limited resources.
Here’s how to find a topic you can write about quickly:
Once you know what you want to write about, you’re probably eager to start writing. But you need a writing guide first.
Let’s review what you can do to create a clear book outline for your book that you can use as a roadmap.
Need A Nonfiction Book Outline?
