Many writers write their book, and then start to sell it. This is going about the process the wrong way.

The time to start selling your book is as you write it. This applies whether you’re writing a book for a traditional publisher, or you’re self-publishing an ebook or hardcover book.

In the article Fast ebooks — you can do it too — Angela Booth’s Fab Freelance Writing Blog I reported on the process I’m following for a new ebook I’m writing:

“1. I bought a domain name as soon as I got the idea;

2. I transferred the DNS to my Web host, and set up a ‘coming soon’ index page, with an article on the topic of the ebook. This is so the site gets indexed; I want it to be indexed before the ebook’s ready;

3. I’ve started creating graphics for the site and ebook. Yes, I could outsource the graphics. However, I enjoy doing it, and my graphics guy disappointed me with unusable graphics the last time I outsourced, so there’s less hassle in doing it myself. And, as I create the graphics, I can feel my enthusiasm building…;

4. I outlined the ebook in ten minutes. I’ve been writing articles on the topic so I already know what I want to say;”

If you want your book to sell, and sell well, you must start selling it… as you write it.

So if you’re currently writing a book, and haven’t thought about how you’ll sell it (you’ll need to sell it, even if you’re going the traditional publishing route) start today.

Write It Once And Sell It Forever

Get A Constant Flow Of Cash By Writing And Selling Ebooks… It’s Much, Much Easier Than You Think

Ebooks are BIG online. Most ebooks contain from five to 100 pages, and sell anywhere from $10 to $100 dollars, and over, depending on the information. Clever writers are realizing that there’s gold in ebooks, and that they’re well-placed to mine that gold…

Discover how you can self-publish online, and make a great income, writing and selling ebooks with “Write and Sell an eBook: Every Writer’s Quick-Action Guide To Writing Ebooks”..

Got writer’s block? If you’re writing a book, you’re almost guaranteed to get writer’s block at some stage. This shouldn’t slow you down, it’s a good thing, believe it or not.

There are many reasons you could be suffering from writer’s block, but knowing why you are isn’t as important as moving forward with your book.

The five-step process I’ve described for you below will help you to get over writer’s block. On the other hand, if you’re planning a book, it will get you started without procrastinating.

1. Write a Blurb First, It Keeps You on Track

Your first step is to write a blurb (a short, enticing description) of your book. Keep it under 75 words. Visit the bookstore or library to read the blurbs of books which are similar to yours. You’ll find the blurb on the back cover of a book.

2. Write Down Everything You Know About Your Topic

Your next step is to write down everything you know about your book’s topic. If you’re writing a novel, write down the story.

Write as quickly as you can, without taking your fingers from the keyboard.

This may take you many hours. Keep going. This engages both your conscious and subconscious mind in the project, so that your subconscious mind keeps “working” on the book for you.

3. Have Fun! Get Engaged and Excited

Are you having fun? If you’re not, your lack of enthusiasm will come through in your words. Get in touch with your original enthusiasm for the book, and remember why you want to write a book. See your book on bookstore shelves.

4. Blog Your Book — Build a Readership (Platform)

Every writer needs to market his book. A publisher will not do it for you — you’re responsible for sales of your book. In fact, the publisher will want to know what your plans are for marketing the book before you’re offered a contract.

The easiest way to market your book is a blog, so create a blog as soon as possible.

5. Get a Mentor

Your final step is to get a mentor for your book. Writing and publishing a book is a long process. You need instruction, guidance and inspiration from someone who’s done it, and who can guide you through it.

So there you have it — five steps to help you to write your book without writer’s block.

Recession-proof your freelance writing career

“Write More And Make More Money From Your Writing: Develop A Fast, Fun Productive Writing Process” gives you all the tools you need for a thriving writing career, no matter what the economic climate.

Three weeks after completing the class one student wrote:

“Thanks Angela, for all your help and advice in class. I’m quitting my job next week. I printed out my letter of resignation tonight after landing a contract writing job that will pay me more for three months part-time work than I earned in from my day job in the whole of 2007! You were right – the great gigs are out there, and now I’ve got the skills to land them. Your class opened my eyes. Bless you…”

“Write More And Make More Money From Your Writing: Develop A Fast, Fun Productive Writing Process” shows you how to thrive as a freelance writer. Would you like to write five times more than you’re writing now, and sell to higher-paying markets? Take the class.

Rejection is par for the course when you’re writing a book.

If you’re suffering rejections, here are some some suggestions which may help.

How to Cut Down on Your Rejections

1. Start by ensuring that you pay attention to publisher’s guidelines.

If you’ve written a cosy mystery, a publisher looking for literary fiction or travel guides will reject you. Publishers have guidelines for a reason. It’s fatal to think: “My book is great; EVERY publisher will want it.” They won’t.

2. Pay attention to mechanics, such as grammar, spelling and punctuation. Yes, these manuscript mechanics matter.

Publishers and agents received dozens (some receive hundreds) of manuscripts each week. This means that someone, usually an intern, has the unenviable task of scanning all those packages. A messy, hard-to-read manuscript gets dumped onto the ‘not for us’ pile faster than you can blink.

3. Query first.

Always send a query letter first, before you send your manuscript. Not only is this polite, it also gives a publisher or agent a chance to tell you what they’re really interested in.

If you get a letter, get excited. Receiving a letter, even a rejection, is a very big deal. You’ll only get a letter if someone likes your work, and thinks that you may come up with something one day they’ll be interested in buying. So read the letter carefully, and follow the instructions.

4. Revise your novel.

Writing a first novel is hard. Congratulations if you’ve done it. However, the chances that your effort is in a publishable state are slim. Don’t send your novel out in a first-draft state. REVISE.

Get someone who’s knowledgeable (that is, someone who’s in publishing) to read it, and make suggestions. You can ignore these suggestions, but they will give you an impetus (rage gives you energy ) to get to work and revise your novel.

Also, read a couple of books on how to revise a novel, and use them as a guide.

Unfortunately, no one in publishing these days has the time to coach or mentor you. Your novel must be as close to publishable form as possible, before you submit it.

Take heart. Writing your first novel will teach you a lot about writing. Revising it and submitting it will teach you too. With every word you write, you’re getting closer to publication.

5. Keep writing.

If you keep writing, you’ll sell eventually. There’s a lot to learn, and the only way to succeed, and beat rejections, is to keep writing.

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.

If you’ve ever read a book and thought to yourself “I can write that!”, you probably can write a book. Many novelists start writing because they realize that they can write a better novel than one they’ve just read.

Let’s look at the first steps in writing a genre novel: finding out what elements a particular genre of novels has.

Genre novels are written for entertainment; they come with labels, like mystery, romance, thriller, and historical. In a sense, they’re the easiest types of novel to write, because each genre has expectations. In a romance novel, the romance must be the center of the book, for example. In a mystery, there must be a mystery to solve.

These expectations that readers (and of course publishers) have for a genre give you a handle on how to write that particular genre of novel. You start by deciphering what those expectations are, and how the elements of the book meet those expectations.

Tip: many publishers offer “writer’s guidelines” for their books. While these are useful, your own thoughts about WHY readers like a genre are much more valuable to you, because everything you write is filtered through your own experience.

Let’s imagine that you’ve just read an historical mystery which has inspired the notion that “I can write that!”. Excellent. Now do some thinking.

Ask yourself what you liked most about the book: was it the characters, the sense of place, or the dialogue, or something else altogether? Alternatively, maybe you liked the novel, but thought that the author could have done a better job with the plot, or improved the characterizations.

Write down what you liked about the novel, and also what you disliked. Be specific.

How Many Words? How Many Characters? Taking A Genre Novel Apart To See What Makes It Tick

When you read a novel, you’re drawn into the world of that novel. With a great novel, you can become swept away. To write a novel, you have to know how a novel is put together: you need to take a novel apart, so you can write your own.

Counting the words and characters in a novel may seem mechanical, but it’s vital information. They’re the elements which make up a genre novel. Once you know what those elements are, you can write your own.

Read the novel again, and this time make notes. Think about writing that genre of novel yourself. Reading as a writer is very different from reading as a reader. If, after reading the book as a writer, you still believe “I can write that!”, go ahead and write your novel.

Want to write a book? You can. You start writing, and you keep going. At around 80,000 words, you’ve got yourself a book. Now what? You sell the book  to a major publisher, hit the bestseller lists, and order your new cherry-red Ferrari.

That’s how writing a book and getting published works. But if you try to follow that process – just sit down and start typing – the chances that you’ll sell the book are slim. To sell your book you need to know the kind of book you’re writing before you start, and also whether there’s an audience for that kind of book. It sounds unfair, but in order to sell your book, you have to prove to the publisher that people will want to read it.

What Kind of Book are You Writing?

Most new authors start on their book writing and publishing adventure by reading a book and getting inspired. They don’t think about the kind of book they’re writing, or who would want to read it.

There are basically two kinds of books: truth and lies, otherwise known as nonfiction and fiction (novels). Some hundred thousand books are published in English each year, both nonfiction and novels. You must know what kind of book you’re writing before you start.

Let’s imagine that you’ve read a Harry Potter novel, and you’re so enthusiastic that you’re inspired to write your own children’s novel. The words pour out of you; you’re on fire. You write and write and write, and the pages pile up on your computer’s hard drive.

This is great. While you’re writing, ask yourself: “In a bookstore, where would this book of mine be shelved?”

If you’re not sure, go to a bookstore and wander around the shelves. Is your book in the nonfiction section? In the children’s section? In the romance novel or mystery section?

If you’re inspired by Harry Potter, you know you’re writing a children’s novel. Imagine your book on the shelves, right beside the rows of Harry Potters.

This isn’t an idle exercise, or a fantasy. You must know what you’re writing, so please visit that bookstore. “What is it?” is the first thing an agent will want to know when you contact her to represent your book. It’s also the first thing an editor at a publishing house will want to know.

So, what are you writing? If you don’t know, or aren’t sure, think about it and visit a bookstore if you need to. You can write a book and get published  if you know what you’re writing, and who will want to read it.