Posts Tagged ‘how to write a book’
STRUCTURING CHAPTERS IN A SELF-HELP OR HOW-TO BOOK
Are you feeling lost as you’re structuring chapters in a self-help or how-to book you’re writing? Did you get lost as one section of chapter one started to grow like creeping Charlie on your lawn, taking over the grass?
Read MoreHOW TO WRITE A BOOK BASED ON YOUR LIFE
We all have a book inside us. We may even have several! If you want to know how to write a book based on your life, you need to become clear on the type of book you would like to write. I have seven options for you—six nonfiction and one fiction—that might fit well with your plan to write a book.
Read MoreFIVE KEYS TO MAKING YOUR SELF-HELP BOOK A HUGE SUCCESS
Wrapping up a book project is always bittersweet for me. As a developmental editor, I’m like a book’s “midwife”: I’m happy to see the baby born into the world, but sad that my role in helping the author go from a book idea to a book is over. After a book is completed, I try to take some time to revel in the pleasure of having helped yet another author get that book written and ready for publication. Then, I take some time to ponder what I learned from the experience. One of my most recent projects yielded the following testimonial, which hints at five keys to making your self-help book a huge success:
Read More11 LESSONS ON WRITING A BESTSELLER FROM JOHN GRAY’S BLOCKBUSTER HIT MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS
Twenty years ago, I had the honor of being involved in a cultural phenomenon called Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus. Remember that catchphrase? It came from a mega-best-selling book by relationship counselor John Gray, PhD.
Read MoreTHE SECRET TO FINDING YOUR VOICE AS A WRITER
Often, aspiring writers are concerned about creating a unique voice in their writing. They want to sound like no one else, to express themselves in a way that thousands or even millions of people will find compelling. Maybe it’s unrealistic that any of us will truly sound like no one else, but we like to…
Read MoreWRITE A MEMOIR, NOVELIZATION, OR SELF-HELP BOOK BASED ON YOUR EXPERIENCES
Many aspiring authors contact me about help with writing a book based on what they’ve learned as a result of their experiences. They want to help others by sharing their story, wisdom, and advice in a book but don’t know how to start to write a memoir, novelization, or self-help book based on their experiences. I…
Read MoreHOW TO WRITE A SELF-HELP BOOK: STRUCTURING
Many people have enjoyed reading self-help books but when it comes to writing one, they don’t know where to begin. How do you organize the material? What’s the secret to self-help book structuring? It’s taking your reader on a journey from a problem …
Read MoreTHE WORD ON WORD COUNT AND LENGTH
How do you determine word count and length for a book and its chapters? First, study other successful (key word: successful!) books in your genre to discover what length they are. For example, a typical self-help book is between 60,000 and 80,000 words
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