So You Wanna Write a Book?
Over the last few weeks I've had several people say to me, "Leanne, I feel a book in my spirit." or "Leanne, I wanna write a book." or various other interactions in regard to writing a book. They then proceed to inquire my opinion on writing one, "How do I start?", or "What should I do?". Their questions range anywhere from publishing, getting started, title, content, cover, etc. So I decided to do a blog on BOOK WRITING!
Now trust me, I am definitely not an expert on book writing. But over the last few years I've assisted my spiritual father, Leif Hetland, in writing a few books. I also wrote and published my first book in March 2013, "A Christian Life Without Father God". Since that time I have published two more books, in which one has been translated into Spanish. I'm in the process of working on my fourth book with another to follow soon after.
If you've thought about writing a book or already have a book in mind but don't know where to start, I want to give you a few pointers I hope will help you:
You need a "WOW" title and cover: There are a ton of books out there, but there can never be too many. But if you were approaching a book table at an event or browsing through shelves at a local bookstore looking for something intriguing to read (unless you're looking for a specific book you already had in mind), the book you'll pick up will be the book that jumps out at you. A book that "catches" your attention and the first thought in your mind is, "Wow, I want to read this book! This book looks really interesting!" The content of your book is extremely important, but your title and cover is critical! When I'm writing a book I truly lean into the book to receive the most intriguing title and cover possible. Make sure the write-up on the back cover is appealing as well, and gives a "great" sum up of your book that will continue to catch the readers' attention.
Get started: There are a few ways to start your book. When I wrote my first book, it just flowed. I received an idea for my introduction that I knew would pull people into the book and keep them going. I've had many people tell me they started my book at 10:00 at night and couldn't put it down until 3:00 am the next morning. In fact, I now tell people, "Do yourself a favor and don't start my book late at night." How you start out writing your book will really depend on what you're writing about, whether it's a "life-story" book or a "teaching" book. Feel free to write me with questions on this bullet point.
Content: Please do not write a book just to write a book. Put a book out there that people will want to read. Trust me, if you don't hit a "home run" with your first book, people will be less likely to buy your next book. Make sure you put your heart, soul, mind, and spirit into your book. That's what people out there want to read, whether it's fiction or reality!
Editing and formatting: This will be my longest point and it's a critical one! I have, at the least, 4 people read through my book before going to publishing. And then after I receive my book from the publisher, I'm rereading it, going through it again. Trust me, there always seems to be another mistake in that piece somewhere. With the self-publishing company I use, it's so easy to correct those mistakes before printing more books. AND AGAIN, if you put out a book that has mistakes throughout it and poor inside appeal or formatting, people will be very reluctant to buy your next book. I had someone say to me recently, "I bought so-and-so's book a while back and it was full of mistakes. I'll never buy another one of their books again." I read that same book and it was full of mistakes. I always attempt to go with a spirit of "excellence" when writing a book. People will come to the conclusion that if you can't write a book void of multiple mistakes, how much are you an expert on what you writing about! Also google "most popular fonts for book writing" and choose from one of the top 4 of those fonts. I've seen books that have "old style" fonts and it is just not very appealing. Look through other books out there and see what looks good, their styles, fonts, formatting, etc. and get some ideas from a multitude of books.
Publishing: Obviously there are many ways you can publish a book, but I use Createspace (createspace.com). They are a self-publishing company and their system is VERY user friendly. They are great to work with and you only pay for the books you buy. I can buy 1 of my books or 500 at a time and only pay for what I buy. They will also ship my books to a city where I'm speaking or to another nation where I will be. They are also affiliated with Amazon so your book goes directly into Amazon's site. :-)
Well, I could obviously go on and on about book writing but don't want to get too lengthy in this blog. If you have any questions about book writing, feel free to email me at leanne@leannegoffministries.org or respond to this blog. Please also forward this blog on to your friend who's thinking about writing a book.
Until next time...
P.S. To take a look at the rest of my resources, please visit www.leannegoffministries.org/store