Becoming a published author will really put you out there in front of your competitors… and massively increase your credibility as the expert in your space.

If you are like most people though, I imagine that you feel overwhelmed at the prospect of sitting down to write your own 70,000+ word masterpiece. It’s a daunting proposition isn’t it?!

And that’s before you even begin to navigate the world of publishing.

But, in recent times, the publishing world has changed. The days of needing publishing contracts, or having to spend several thousand pounds or dollars on printing costs to self publish are over. It is now possible to publish your own book yourself… very quickly and with only a small initial outlay.

So, if one of your goals is to get your book published, in this 2-part miniseries, I’m going to share some tips for converting your work into a published book.

Did you feel a slight panic when I said “your work”… imagining many hours holed up in your office writing? What if I said that you’ve likely already done most of the work that’s required?

Let me explain…

Plan your book content:

Before you begin, you will need to spend some time planning which topics you want to cover in your book. You’ll want to give this stage some proper thought to make sure you cover everything off… and that the content will flow in a sensible order.

How much content do you need for a book?

I’m going to let you in to a little secret here… there is a growing trend towards serialising your content. So, instead of writing one 70,000+ word manuscript covering all of your content in one book, you could split out the content into a series of titles.

If you’re a wealth coach for example, your first book could cover the topic of stock market trading, with book two perhaps covering property investing… etc.

Does that make sense? Each book need only contain around 10,000 words, but you release a series of them to complete a library of titles.

You don’t need to launch the whole series at once either. If you don’t have enough copy at this stage, you could release the first book in your series now, and the subsequent titles could follow at later dates… in periodic intervals.

The other benefit of serialising is that you’ll have several income streams… not just the one book generating sales commissions.

Next, think about the content you have already created.

Transcribe your existing content:

I’m sure that by now you have a whole host of audio and video content that you’ve created previously? Content such as;

  • Videos for your virtual training programs
  • Webinars that you’ve hosted
  • Podcasts that you’ve transmitted

Consider this: By hiring a VA to transcribe your audio and video content, you will have a large amount of copy already prepared for your book. A 90 minute webinar for example, equates to around 8,000 words of copy.

So, for a 10,000 word book, you have 80% of the copy prepared from the outset. Is the idea of becoming a published author still overwhelming?

Next, think about blogs you have written… do any of them fit your content plan? Could they be included in your book too?

Of course, you will also want to write around the transcribed copy and blog posts. Don’t release something that isn’t your best work just to get it out there quickly… you want your readers to enjoy your book and take value away from your content.

But that said, I hope you can see that you don’t have to sit staring at a blank screen forever… there is an alternative you can explore to become published?

My invitation to you today is to consider the work you’ve already completed to determine if it could become content for your book. If you don’t yet have any audio or video content prepared, what could you record that can add value to your community now but also double up as content for your book?

Could 2013 be the year you become a published author?

In the next blog post, I’ll talk about how you can launch your book into the public domain… electronically (eBook) and paperback. Watch this space next Thursday.

You don’t need to wait until it’s too late to start crafting the life and business of your dreams right now.

That’s why I have put together this intense 8-week “Lifestyle Shift Accelerator”. Designed to fast-track your journey to creating Your Ultimate Lifestyle, at the helm of a certain, secure and enjoyable business- your life will never be the same again once you step on this path.

Accelerate Your Lifestyle Shift Here