Want to write a book in just 20 minutes a day? If you’re been putting off writing because you “don’t have time”, consider that bestselling author John Grisham wrote his first book during his morning train commute. You can accomplish a great deal in short blocks of time.

Here’s a secret: I’ve always written my books in 20 minute sessions. Initially, when I wrote novels, it was because my children needed me. I got into the habit.

Although I’m a full-time writer now, I still write books in 20 minute blocks of time, because it’s efficient and eliminates procrastination. There’s a lot of theory around why working in short sessions is so effective, and I won’t bore you with it, just know that it does work.

1. What Do You Want to Write About? It’s OK if You Don’t Know

If you’d love to write, starting presents such challenges that many people wimp out.

So how do you start a book? You sneak up on it. It’s fine to start without knowing more than the simple fact that you want to write… something. Sit down. Do some free writing, or some writing exercises. (I post daily writing exercises and tips to Twitter, if you’d like to join us.)

Do this for several days; never force. You’re training your subconscious mind to be creative on demand, and this takes a little time.

2. Schedule a Time to Write Your Book

We’re all so busy these days that everything needs to be scheduled. Schedule the 20 minutes you’ll work on your book. It can be any time at all; even your lunch hour at work. Just schedule it, down to the minute, and when that time of day arrives, start writing.

3. Relax: Creativity Is Playful

I can’t emphasize enough that your creative inspiration is playful. You can’t force it. Write however, wherever and whenever feels good to you (as long as you schedule it). Fifteen years ago, I went through a phase of writing book-length material on a Palm Pilot. I know writers who favor a certain type of paper, a special fountain pen and color of ink. One writer I know writes in the bathtub.

Whatever your own creative self demands, give in to it.

4. Write Whatever Comes to Mind: Don’t Expect to “Know” Too Soon

If you’re writing nonfiction, even a creative form of nonfiction, you’ll usually know what you want to write about before you start — although you may not.

Fiction is different. Many novelists start off writing with nothing more than an image, or a feeling. Be relaxed about this. Your left brain is logical and wants to know exactly what you’re writing. However your creative right brain isn’t verbal, and doesn’t care. Trust your right brain: your innate creativity will deliver.

So: start to write your book in your spare time. Everyone can spare 20 minutes a day.

Have fun when you write your book with Angela’ Booth’s great tips

The tips in Angela Booth’s free report, Write a Book: Powerful Writing Tips to Help You to Write YOUR Book, will teach you the strategies of a professional writer.

Discover how to make money online in your spare time with Angela Booth’s Sell Your Writing Online NOW training Not only will you discover how to write and sell ebooks, you’ll get complete training in how the Web works, so you can take advantage of the unlimited opportunities.

All books, whether fiction or nonfiction, for print or digital delivery, need editing. If you realize this before you start to write your book you can relax during the writing process, because you know that you’ll fix problems in a later draft.

Although you can hire an editor — if you’re submitting to a major publishing house an editor can be very useful — you should do the editing on the first and second drafts yourself.

This is because you know your book. You know what you want to say, so hiring an editor before your book is ready can cause damage — there’s every chance that you’ll lose your vision for your book.

So, let’s assume you’ve written a first draft, and are ready to edit.

1. Create an Outline from What You’ve Written

Your first step is to read through your book, and create an outline from what you’ve actually written. Create the outline in another document, and print it out.

If you see gaps in the structure where you need material, mark these areas on the draft.

2. Use Index Cards to Rearrange the Structure of Your Book

It’s a rare book which doesn’t need major structural changes. Get a stack of index cards, and if you’re writing fiction, write a sentence for each scene on a card.

Lay the cards out on a large table, or on the floor, and move scenes around.

3. For Fiction: Is There Suspense?

Rearranging your scenes is essential if you’re writing a novel. You don’t want to reveal too much too soon. Your book should keep up suspense until the final page.

4. For Nonfiction: Do You Deliver on Your Promises?

If you’re writing nonfiction, decide whether you deliver on the promises you made in the title, and in your book proposal.

This is easy to miss, believe it or not.

5. Cut Away the Undergrowth

Now you’ve got the structure of the book the way you want it, it’s time to take a machete to the undergrowth. This can be hard, but steel yourself.

If you’re writing fiction, eliminate characters who aren’t necessary. If you’re writing nonfiction, cut everything which doesn’t contribute to what you want the book to deliver to readers.

6. Rewrite

All done? Great. Now rewrite, tightening as you go.

Once you’ve done the rewrite, you’ve completed your second draft, and your book is close to ready to send out.

Have fun when you write your book with Angela’s great tips

The tips in Angela Booth’s free report, Write a Book: Powerful Writing Tips to Help You to Write YOUR Book, will teach you the strategies of a professional writer.

Are you writing a book? Great. Here’s the best tip I can offer you: build your readership as you write.

The easiest way to build your readership is by blogging.

You can also build your readership by selling a snippet, or excerpt, of your book-in-progress (or any of your published books) online.

This article, Publishers to Use Digital Works as ‘Literary Appetizers’ for Novels – WSJ.com, talks about Ballantine Books and Harlequin selling “bridges” (excerpts) of authors’ works and says about author Steve Berry’s snippet:

“The 6,000-word piece, ‘The Balkan Escape,’ is too short to have been published as a paperback original. In effect, it is a literary appetizer, inexpensive enough to attract potential readers who might otherwise not be willing to buy a new novel from an author whose works they haven’t yet read, said Mr. Berry.”

Should you give your snippets/ excerpts away?

The notion of selling excerpts from your books brings up the question: “Should you give your excerpts away to build readerships?

“Free” worked very well online for a long time. However, in 2010, I think people are over it. Here’s the thing about “free”: it will devalue your product.

You can certainly give away a “free” first chapter — or part of a first chapter, under 1500 words. Once you’re giving away two or three thousand words, or more, you’re devaluing your product.

Everyone and his dog gives things away these days as a marketing ploy. For authors to give away parts of their books is ineffective. No one values what they get for free. Charge a nominal amount for your excerpts, and there’s a chance that people will actually read it, rather than just download it, and forget about it.

Another tip: build a list of your readers while you’re selling snippets — ask for readers’ email addresses.

Are you thinking of buying an ebook reader? Amazon’s Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6
has been out for a while, and is hugely popular.

However, there are many other options, with new ereaders appearing regularly. Barnes & Noble have the Nook, and of course, Apple has the iPad.

I’m looking forward to receiving my Apple iPad Tablet (64GB, Wifi), which is arriving in around a week.

While I’m looking forward to reading ebooks on it (including the ones I’ve purchased for my Kindle, I’m much more interested in using it for writing.

Have you bought a portable ebook reader? Which one did you buy, and why did you choose it? Please tell us in the Comments.

Barnes & Noble is leaping aboard the electronic publishing express in a big way. In addition to their Nook ereader, they’ve announced PubIt, a digital publishing platform for publishers and writers.

Their press release Barnes & Noble Announces PubIt!(TM), An Easy-to-Use Digital Publishing and Distribution Platform for Independent and Self-Publishers – MarketWatch says:

“NEW YORK, May 19, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Barnes & Noble, Inc. (BKS 19.77, +0.27, +1.38%) , the world’s largest bookseller, is extending its deep and longstanding tradition of supporting authors and publishers with PubIt! by Barnes & Noble, an easy and lucrative way for independent publishers and self-publishing writers to distribute their works digitally through Barnes & Noble.com and the Barnes & Noble eBookstore. The easy-to-use publishing and distribution platform offers qualified independent publishers and authors of self-published works expanded distribution, visibility and protection that only Barnes & Noble can offer.”

The details haven’t been announced yet. It’ll be interesting to see what kinds of royalties they offer, and whether they demand exclusivity.