Do you have a message to share with the world? Is there something you want to change or something you want to do to make a difference in the world? Do you want to elevate and expand your business, or build your brand, your credibility and your authority in your industry? Well there’s one thing that can satisfy all of these things. Have you ever thought about learning how to write a book?
I want to share with you why writing a book was the wisest things I ever did. Many people don’t realize all of the benefits that writing a book can have. Not only did it help me share a message; it catapulted my professional career to whole new levels.
My First Book…
The first book I wrote when I was in my thirties was 100 Ways to Enhance Self-Concept in the Classroom. It made me an expert in the field of building self-esteem in the schools. As a result I was asked to speak at state and national conferences all over the United States and Canada. I got to travel, work with dedicated professionals who wanted to improve education, and earned a much higher income than I would have made as a classroom teacher or a therapist in private practice.
How Chicken Soup for the Soul Changed My Life
When I wrote and compiled Chicken Soup for the Soul, it totally changed my life. In less than three years, I went from making $140,000 a year to $6 million a year.
My speaking fees went through the roof, and I was treated to first class travel and accommodations. When the book started being translated into what would become more than 50 languages, I was invited to speak all over the world in some of the most beautiful and exotic destinations you can imagine, and sometimes to audiences as large as 10,000 people.
I was also interviewed on every major television show from Oprah and Montel to the Today Show and Larry King Live.
But most importantly, the satisfaction that came from the impact I was having also increased.
There were days when I would receive 100 letters telling me how the book (and later all the Chicken Soup books) had made a difference in their lives—everything from people who decided not to commit suicide to people saying how the books had got them through their cancer or encouraged them to start a business they had always dreamed of.
How to Get Started and How to Make Writing a Book a Success
1. Declare yourself an author NOW
Come up with a working title for your book and start telling people you’re the author of the “upcoming book titled XYZ.” One big reason to do this is it will create positive momentum for you. Once you start telling people you’ve got a book coming out, it makes it much easier to get it done. Plus, you can start enjoying some of the ancillary benefits of being an author, such as getting publicity on radio/TV, print publications and online. As with many things in life the key is to just get started – even if you don’t feel quite ready.
2. Be selfish with your time
Writing a book is important – to you, your family and your future – and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Share your goal with your spouse, your parents and your friends. Ask them to help you create the time to write, even if it’s just 15 minutes every day. Create the habit. Good or bad, habits always deliver results. If you only write one page a day, in a year, you will have written 365 pages—more than enough for a book!
3. Find your message
There is a book inside of you. It might be a business book, a memoir, a cookbook or something funny, a how-to or how-not to, a what-for or why-not. What are you good at? What is your passion? What can you teach other people to do?
4. Identify your niche
Who needs to learn what you have to teach? Who would be most interested in your story? Get specific. For example, the Chicken Soup series includes Chicken Soup for the Christian Woman’s Soul, Chicken Soup for the Military Wife’s Soul, Chicken Soup for the Working Woman’s Soul and others. Knowing your niche will help you write the book and market it.
5. Consider co-authors
Think a whole book is too much work? Get a co-author. I had co-authors on my Chicken Soup books. That person can share in the writing and, later, in marketing the book.
6. Think marketing from day one
One of the biggest mistakes most new authors make is to spend all their time and energy writing the book, without sufficient thought to how they’ll market it. Ideally, you want to consider marketing issues while writing your book. For instance, consider short snappy chapter titles which easily lend themselves to being blog posts and/or radio/TV show segments.
7. Meditate on problems
This might sound counter-intuitive. When you meditate, you try to relax, right? Well, not really. Meditating is harnessing your brain power and if you focus that energy on the problems you encounter – and every creative venture encounters problems – you’ll solve them. Meditate, go for a long walk or take a hot bath. Give your mind a problem to solve and give it the room to do so, and it will. That’s how I came up with the title Chicken Soup for the Soul.
Take Action
If you have an idea or valuable information and expertise inside you, or if have a business that you want to promote or expand, you can definitely benefit from writing a book. I want you to think about your business. Think about your career. How could a book help you?
As the beloved originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series, Jack Canfield fostered the emergence of inspirational anthologies as a genre—and watched it grow to a billion dollar market. As the driving force behind the development and delivery of over 100 million books sold through the Chicken Soup for the Soul® franchise, Jack Canfield is uniquely qualified to talk about success. Jack is America’s #1 Success Coach and wrote the life-changing book The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be and Jack speaks around the world on this subject. Check out his newest book The 30-Day Sobriety Solution: How to Cut Back or Quit Drinking in the Privacy of Your Own Home. Follow Jack at www.jackcanfield.com and sign up for his free resources today!
Image courtesy of Burst.
