Pocket Book

Pocket Book

How to Write a Book in One Year

Writers are the voice of the people. They draw on our human truths and use their imaginations to paint the nature of life. Their voice of honesty paired with a parallel imagination defines their ability to capture the attention of readers everywhere. Everyone has the capacity to write. Some writers get heard through traditional publishing houses. Most don’t. But with the infusion of writers using print on demand publishing technology to publish their work over the last decade, writers who have traditionally been left out of the book publishing industry now have a voice of their own.

Writing a book isn’t easy, as is any activity one puts their time, energy and money into. However, when you do write a book it becomes liberating and rewarding to see your words, your stories, your voice, organized in a paperback or hardcover book. Publishing a book can be done on your own and here are some guidelines to help you get your book off the ground and get it printed in less than a year without much investment and without selling your soul.

Start Writing Your Book Now.

Begin writing your book. What are you waiting for? Without writing you have no book! Write about something, write about anything. Write about yourself. But don’t hold back from writing. At this point, you’ve at least set a goal in your mind about writing a book. So write!

Be consistent with your goals. Define clear parameters with your writing.

• How long should I plan to write per day?
• How many hours should I plan to write for this week?

Writing is a very personal process. It is an expression that’s developed from the heart, cultivated from the mind and delivered from the soul. This form of expression can only be tapped into at a persons deepest moments of focus and attention. Be clear with yourself and your expectations. It’s unlikely that inspiration will come from hanging with friends so remind yourself that for a period of time you will have to make sacrifices to certain commitments and relationships you have with others. You will feel alone but the reward of having a book published outweighs any selective time of isolation. This process should take around one to four months to complete.

You’ve Started Writing. Outline What Type of Material You Want to Produce.

So you’ve began writing. What have you written so far? Are you writing about your personal feelings? Are you writing about someone else’s personal story? Are you creating a story out of your imagination? At this point you’ve written quite a lot. Now is the time to hone your writing and define what type of work you would like to produce. Will it be a fictional story, will it be an autobiographical story? Remember, everyone has a story.

Researching the genre you want to write within will add value to your completed published work. You don’t have to be a scholar to do research. A little time spent online browsing titles on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, as well as the occasional visit to your local library will get you familiar with the elements that have worked best for others in your genre. This process should take around five to seven months to complete.

Let It Go! Share Your Work With the World.

You’ve written until your heart couldn’t take it any more, pouring your soul into your masterpiece. You’ve researched the best of the best of your intended genre and picked out the elements that have worked for those chosen few. Now is the time to let go and detach yourself from your writing. Now is the time to entrust the public’s ears. Share your work with friends, with family, with co-workers, with anyone who will read it. For most, our family and friends deflect our over anxious attempts to get their reader reviews and feedback on our work. No worries. There is a large community of internet bloggers that bask in the glory of reading work created by first time writers and authors. Use this network to gauge feedback from others regarding your work.

At this point you’ve received the loads of feedback from friends, family, siblings and strangers. They’ve all given you some food for thought. Take this feedback and go back to the drawing board. Combine everything you’ve taken in so far (feedback from family and friends, information you’ve extracted from your research and what you feel is right in your heart) and craft the best possible piece of writing you’re capable of producing.  Now you have all the elements you need. This process should take around eight to ten months to complete.

Identify Your Publishing Goals.

By now you’ve written a novel. An autobiography. A biography. Have you thought about what your publishing goals are? Do you want to share your writing with your friends and family or do you have dreams of becoming a commercial success, possibly the next Stephen King? Whatever your goals are, identify them. Because without a target you’re shooting into thin air.

There are a wide number of self publishing companies that offer publishing packages that range in the low hundreds to the low five figures. Packages range due to the level of services they provide for each author. Most offer interior formatting, issuance of an ISBN number and allow you to retain most if not all of your rights, all for a fixed price. Packages also include special marketing and promotional services to help sell your book. Either way, what ever your publishing goals are shoot for the stars. But remember; since this is probably your first introduction into publishing be practical and realistic with your expectations, and your pocket book!

About the Author

M.Johnson-Smith is a writer and author from Cambridge, MA. He is also president of Clearwater Consulting Group which specializes in Non-Profit Organizational management. He speaks and conducts writing workshops and seminars for young people across the country.

Do people vote with their pocket book?

Is it true that most millionaires and billionaires vote republican, and the middle class vote democrat?

a good chunk do, but that is not the whole story. half the republicans do (the wealthy half), and the other half are country folk that are super religious and ignorant. half of democrats truly believe in the ideals, and the other half are ignorant people that think deems will get them more money.

Jennifer Hudson- pocketbook lyrics