Book Writing Top Tips

What to write?

1 Getting Started - what to write

a) Do you want to write one book or several?

b) If one, your life story, your business or a novel or play or film screenplay? (Or poetry or songs or musical?)

c) If several, working on each an hour a day on each, or completing one in a hurry, such as over a weekend, or at a one week writers' retreat or holiday?

d) Are you well organised or do you need help?

e) If you need help, how much will you pay?

2) Your Book Plan

a) Money budget

b) Time budget

3) Quick Writing

a) Write a book in a weekend (based in USA).

b) Online write a novel in a month (write October edit November) online.

4) Resources

a) List your credentials. List plan of action.

b) List books you need.

c) List trips (eg library, bookshop).

5) Editing

a) Plot / Subject and style - Add drama. Make them laugh, make them cry, make them wait.

b) Grammar

c) Spelling

d) Page layout

e) Picture editing

5) Sales and Marketing

a) List events (eg book fairs, holidays).

b) Check dates. Plan launch. At your birthday party? At your Christmas party? At local book fair?For Christmas? For summer holiday reading?

c) Bookshops?

d) Online? Set up your website?

e) Start a business? Publishing? Marketing? Sales?

f) Co-operative of writers? Pay a friend? Get family to help?

g) Raise money for charity and get them to sell the book?

h) Marketing - Free, cheap, discount, buy one get one free, two for the price of one?

What am I working on?

A book of quotations. (First edition Quick Quotations For Successful Speeches is on Lulu.)

A travel book combining places I've visited (50 countries) plus my wishlist.

A poetry book for children teaching them useful facts.

A novel on talking animals. (First chapter in Harrow Writers Circle anthology This Is What We Do - can be bought from website of Harrow Writers' Circle.

My next speech for the next humorous speech competition for Toastmasters International.

A musical based on the life of my late uncle The Mad Musician.