Writing a book always takes longer than you think it will. However it shouldn’t take forever. In this article we’ll look at four easy tips which will help you to get your book written, and probably more quickly than you think possible.

I’ve written many books, both for print and for digital publication. I love writing books because I love the feeling of getting into a process and having lots to write. However, whether you love to write or not, these tips will help you.

Here they are.

1. Remember That Writing Is a Process

The temptation when you’re writing is to go back and constantly tinker with what you’ve written. You write six words, decide that they’re the wrong words, so you delete them and write several other words. Then you’ll decide that those words are totally stupid, and you can do better… so you delete them again.

That’s the fast road to madness.

Start writing, and keep writing. You can always fix it later, during the editing process. Keep a forward momentum when you write.

2. Avoid Obsessive Re-Reading

A book which takes several hours to read has taken several months, and sometimes several years, to write. Considering that you’ve only got a certain number of hours each day to write, avoid re-reading what you’ve written as much as possible. Re-reading wastes time you should be spending writing.

Reread the last page, but no more. Then start writing.

3. Outline: Just Do It

If you don’t outline, get into the habit. Your outline can be a simple list of what you intend to cover in the book. If you don’t outline, chances are you won’t finish the book because you’ll lose momentum.

I know many novelists who maintain that if they don’t know happens in the book, the reader won’t know either. Unfortunately, if you don’t know what happens you’re writing without a safety net. You’ll paint yourself into a corner, or you’ll wander off on weird tangents.

4. You Don’t Need to Start at the Beginning

If you remember this one simple rule, you’ll write many more books. Once you’ve written your outline, feel free to write whatever chapter or scene strikes your mood on a particular day.

If you’re writing a novel, and want to write a scene which takes place in the middle of the book, feel free. Alternatively if you’re writing nonfiction, there’s nothing stopping you from writing Chapter Eight before you write Chapter One. It’s completely up to you.

Try these four tips. They’ll not only help you to write your book, but will also help you to build good writing habits.

The Write A Book Collection — the ultimate toolbox for writing and selling your books

These days it’s crazy to spend years writing a book, without having any idea as to whether or not you can make money from it. If you want to write, you can – you have a global market, which is hungry for information and entertainment. And YOU can provide it… even if you’re a brand new author.

As you may know, I write and sell many writing guides. I also sell information products in many other areas than writing.

I want to show you how you can do the same, if you wish. Your dreams of writing a book can be the spark which changes your life.

I’ve collected everything I know about writing and selling your books into my brand new Write A Book Collection: it’s the ultimate toolbox for anyone who wants to write and sell books in 2010 and beyond.

Do you want to write a book, and get it published? Many people do. In this article, you’ll learn some confidential secrets about the publishing industry which will help you to get your book in bookstores.

My own career as an author started over three decades ago, and I wish I’d known then what I know now. I would have avoided a lot of heartache and frustration.

Here’s the first secret: successful authors think in terms of several books, never of just one, because this is the way publishers think. It takes time to build your name, and win readers. When you’re a complete unknown, a publisher is counting on you to build your readership with each book. Publishers need to know that you will write a second, third and fourth book, not just one.

Here’s another secret. It will take time to sell your first book. It may take a couple of years, and then another year or two while it progresses through the publication process. Use this time wisely. Write more books.

You need to believe in yourself to become a bestselling author. Therefore, think in terms of three or four books, right from the beginning.

When a publisher is considering publishing your first book, your work habits will be a primary consideration. Publishers expect that they may lose a little money on a first book. If they’re convinced that you can and will write more books, and that you’ll win readers, you stand a great chance of getting a publication contract.

Yes, I know that it can be a challenge to think of your next books before you’ve completed your first one. However, if you do, you’ll stand a better chance of being published. Always be writing. An agent will consider your work habits before he agrees to represent you. Any publisher considering offering you a contract will also consider what you’ve written in the past, and what you’re writing now.

Successful authors line up their second book before they complete their first one. A book is just a book. It may or may not be successful. Publishers and agents know this. You should know it too — it should inspire you to keep writing.

Most aspiring authors worry about the publication of their first book while they’re writing it. This is a mistake. Focus on completing the book, and then on completing the next one.

Before you know it, you’ll be offered a publishing contract for several books, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a successful author.

The Write A Book Collection — the ultimate toolbox for writing and selling your books

These days it’s crazy to spend years writing a book, without having any idea as to whether or not you can make money from it. If you want to write, you can – you have a global market, which is hungry for information and entertainment. And YOU can provide it… even if you’re a brand new author.

As you may know, I write and sell many writing guides. I also sell information products in many other areas than writing.

I want to show you how you can do the same, if you wish. Your dreams of writing a book can be the spark which changes your life.

I’ve collected everything I know about writing and selling your books into my brand new Write A Book Collection: it’s the ultimate toolbox for anyone who wants to write and sell books in 2010 and beyond.

Here’s an interesting experiment at the Boulder Book Store in Colorado. Print on Demand (POD — self-publshed) authors sell their books on consignment on the bookstore shelves, and pay for the privilege.

The Boulder way: A bookstore’s experiment with microdistribution » Nieman Journalism Lab reports:

“…The store charges its consignment authors according to a tiered fee structure: $25 simply to stock a book (five copies at a time, replenished as needed by the author for no additional fee); $75 to feature a book for at least two weeks in the ‘Recommended’ section; and $125 to, in addition to everything else, mention the book in the store’s email newsletter, feature it on the Local Favorites page of the store’s website for at least 60 days, and enable people to buy it online for the time it’s stocked in the store.

And for $255 — essentially, the platinum package — the store will throw in an in-store reading and book-signing event.”

If you’re a new author, and haven’t set up your own marketing, it sounds like a great offering to me. You’re getting your book out there, and that’s important.

Few bookstores will stock POD books, so let’s hope that more of them develop this distribution model for their local authors.

End your writing procrastination: become a prolific writer TODAY

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Do you want to write a book? Let’s look at three tips which will help you to success.

1. Write What You Know

“Write what you know” is time-honored advice which is given to many writers. Of course, you’re not limited to what you know from personal experience, you can do research.

However the closer your book is to your own experiences in life, the easier it will be to write, and the greater the likelihood that you will be published. Having experience in an area makes you credible to publishers.

This applies to fiction as well as nonfiction. For example, if you’re writing a novel about a medical examiner, then it’s advisable to get some experience in this area before you start writing about it.

Similarly, if you’re writing nonfiction, if you want to write about parenting it’s best to start out by being a parent — or at least an academic who’s done studies on parenting.

2. Write What People Want to Buy

Is your idea sales-worthy? It can be hard to estimate what will sell, because the books which are currently on the bestseller list were written 2 to 5 years ago. However, you can learn a lot from bestseller lists in general. Study the bestseller lists, and visit your local bookshop as often as you can.

Books which sell have a great deal in common: they’re written about topics that people care about. And again, this applies in both fiction and nonfiction.

Try using Google’s keyword research tool, to check how many searches there are on the topic of your book. If there are no searches, or just a meager four searches a month, this means that your topic isn’t of general interest, and it will be just about impossible to get publishers interested.

3. Sell Your Book Before You Write It

This tip applies only to nonfiction. If you’re writing a novel, you’ll have to complete your book before publishers will agree to give you a contract. (However, looking on bright side, if you do get a contract, it may well be a multi-book contract.)

If you’re writing nonfiction, write three chapters, and an outline of your book, and then try to sell it. Most nonfiction is sold on the basis of a proposal, which includes an overview of the book, a marketing plan, and several chapters and an outline.

Write more – become a pro writer

Yes, you can write more and become an expert writer – even if you’re a world-class procrastinator.

Did you know that when you write more, your writing improves? Many of my writing students experience this. They find that when they write more, writing is easier for them – they’re not dominated by their inner editor.

My new writing class, “Write More And Make More Money From Your Writing: Develop A Fast, Fun Productive Writing Process” is based on lessons I developed for my private coaching students to help them to write more, improve their writing, and make more money writing.

If you’re struggling with your writing, the class will help. The techniques you’ll learn in class with help you write fiction, nonfiction, and copy for business.

Discover how you can write more, improve your writing, and sell more of your writing to higher-paying markets.

Create the perfect writing business: become an ebook entrepreneur

Stop trading hours for money. You can remove the blocks on your income with my ebook-creators package. You discover my secrets, developing over years of writing and selling information products.

Ebooks and other information products are HOT. If you can write, you’re golden. Get started creating your ebook empire today.

Want to write a book? If you do, you need to decide from the outset whether you’ll sell it yourself, or will offer it to publishers. Although a book publishing credit is highly valuable, it can also be a way of losing money.

This is because the majority of published authors fail to make any profit on their books, when you consider the time and energy they invest in the process. However, if they understood the benefits and downsides to choosing a publishing method, they’d make a profit.

1. Is Book Publishing Profitable?

Sadly, for 95 per cent of authors it’s not. Here’s how it works:

* You spend one to two years writing a book and selling it (licensing it, in reality) to a publisher for an advance on royalties;

* You spend a couple of years waiting for your book to earn out, and start earning royalties… if indeed the book ever earns out.

If you add up all the time this takes, and estimate an hourly rate for published authors, you’d make more money serving burgers and fries at the golden arches.

Of course, a lucky few authors (very few), do hit the bestseller lists and make great money.

2. The Benefits of Writing a Book and Having It Published by a Major Publisher

I say “benefits” but there’s really only one benefit, and it’s this: credibility. A publishing credit legitimizes you as a professional writer. It will help you to sell your writing, and writing services, for years to come. It establishes your writing career, as nothing else can.

2. The Downsides to Writing a Book and Having It Published by a Major Publisher

* You spend months and years in publishing limbo.

You wait for an agent to get back to you… you wait for your editor to get back to you…

If you’re a successful, published writer, this won’t matter much. You’ve got lots of other projects in various stages of completion, so you won’t notice these long delays.

If you’re a new writer, the delays can kill your career, because you’ll become depressed and downhearted, which means your writing suffers. You’re too busy waiting to do what you should be doing, which is writing.

* You lose money.

If a book idea is hot enough for a publishing house to give you a contract, the book idea is worth money. Guess who makes the bulk of the profits?

While you’re waiting for your book to be published, you could be selling it yourself, and earning an income. The time you spend waiting equals money you’ll never get back.

3. Make the Choice Early

It’s up to you which publishing method you choose. For many authors, writing a book and self-publishing, whether electronically or by Print on Demand (POD) is the best option — but only you can decide. But if you want to write a book and make it profitable, you must decide.

Write more: kick start your book

Yes, you can write more and kick start your book – even if you’re a world-class procrastinator.

Did you know that when you write more, your writing improves? Many of my writing students experience this. They find that when they write more, writing is easier for them – they’re not dominated by their inner editor.

My new writing class, “Write More And Make More Money From Your Writing: Develop A Fast, Fun Productive Writing Process” is based on lessons I developed for my private coaching students to help them to write more, improve their writing, and make more money writing.

If you’re struggling with your writing, the class will help. The techniques you’ll learn in class with help you write fiction, nonfiction, and copy for business.

Discover how you can write more, improve your writing, and sell more of your writing to higher-paying markets.