***'If only I had A Published Book...'

A published book is usually among the Top 10 items on every entrepreneur’s or professional’s Wish List. In the academic world, it's a well-known fact that publishing is a must, and in the political and entrepreneurial arenas, most leaders have learned that published books and articles are excellent ways to deliver policies and platforms to the public. Often these successful people are already published authors and their loyal fans are eagerly awaiting the next book. Yet somehow, everything else on that ToDo list gets done and soon even their Significant Others start to tactfully dust around it.n nWhat's the problem? Where are they stuck? n Big sigh, and then the recital begins: “I love to write, but I don’t like to re-write”… “I can get a few thoughts down, but then I get stuck…” “What if I actually finish the manuscript? Then what? How do I publish it? Promote it? Make some money from sales?” “The whole process is much easier than you think,” I reassure them when they come to me for help. “Really?” they exclaim. “How could that be so?” Self-potential experts already know that "attitude is everything"; also, that "thoughts become things," and "you get what you attract." Yet for many, writing and publishing a book may seem entirely different from learning how to manage your finances, commit to stop smoking, or finally release that co-dependent relationship.n nWhat’s wrong with asking an expert? What if, for example, you never graduated from high school but you’re an award-winning gymnast who has an amazing story to tell about how you almost lost the use of your legs in a bicycle accident involving a hit-and-run driver? What a great book it would make--yet, the thought of writing it is terrifying. What if you already have a book manuscript but you’ve never been a good speller… and when it comes to punctuation… and then all those run-on-sentences... You know! Yes, I do know. Frustration builds and soon the project ends up at the bottom of the heap. Wherever you are in the process of writing and publishing your hard copy book, ebook, articles, blogs, memoirs, etc., I know I can help you. And along the way you may even fall in love with writing and start to develop that second book on your own! It’s happened to more than one of my clients.nn“I’ve dreamed of becoming a published author… but I don’t have a clue about how to begin...” Sometimes, starting at the beginning and working through the material chronologically may be the problem. Why not start in the middle, instead? Why not hit the pulse first, where the protagonist has just lost his (job, wife, briefcase with a time bomb inside)? He’s trapped in an elevator and no one else is in the building. Or: she’s just taken the wrong turn on a deserted hiking trail and it's starting to snow and now she knows she's lost... Find the pulse and start writing. Wow! See how easy it is? See how much passion you have, now that you’re on target?n n“If only I had a published book I could sell at my seminars or give out as an enhanced business card…” If you’ve been on the seminar trail for awhile already, writing a book will be a piece of cake… and publishing it will be even easier. You already have your Table of Contents that is merely a conversion of the outline for your seminar presentation. You know exactly what people want to learn from you and you’ve carefully organized this material into categories and manageable bite-size pieces for easy digestion. Guess what? Your manuscript is almost finished. In no time at all you’ll be ready to hand it to a book doctor or editor. How difficult was that?! Then, what about the publishing part? To your surprise and delight, you’ll discover the many advantages of digital production and delivery technologies. Today, you can even print your book one copy at a time and collect money from your buyers before paying the printing costs. You can also print customized editions of the same book for different buyers. Let’s say the CEO of a company wants to write an introduction to a special edition of your book that she’s buying to present as a gift to her employees. For less than $100, you can set up this special version of your book and order the number of designated copies. How great is that?!n nCaveat: Remember to work with a quality co-publishing company. In future articles I will explain the difference between self-, co- and traditional publishing. You must make sure your publishing company does quality work and provides expert customer care and a publishing contract that you can live with.nn“Publishing involves so many details. My book is almost written and besides needing a first-class editor, I’m clueless about what to do next.” First of all, let me reassure you, help is not only on the way; it’s HERE, right now! Modern digital technologies have speeded up the process of publishing and also removed the tediousness of “cut and paste,” file transmission, document conversion and many other steps. n Publishing, like writing, is a precision process; it is so important to work with an expert. As the Selfgrowth.com Official Guide for Publishing, I invite you to send me your book and article ideas, outlines, sample chapters… whatever part of your project that needs attention. I look forward to working with you! Please enjoy the many pages of free information on my two websites, Write to Publish for Profit and Dandelion Books... and a free download of an excerpt of my book, Write to Publish for Profit: How to write Non-Fiction, Fiction, Poetry & Memoirs and More…nn