lil' bits of this-n-that: Follow These 10 Steps When Writing A Book

Authoring a book still remains on my bucket list. One of the hardest parts of this accomplishment is just getting started. If you need a motivating, down-to-earth, easy to follow game plan. Look no further I have found the perfect list to get aspiring authors on their way to the best-sellers list.

Step 1. Choose your topic. Most published authors suggest that you write about what you know and love.

Step 2. Do the research. This is going to take hours and hours, weeks and weeks or maybe months. But you have several important obligations when you write a book starting with quality research that includes checking and verifying every fact and resource..

Step 3. Think about who will read your book and how you will reach them. This may surprise you, but less than half of all books are sold in regular "brick-and-mortar bookstores."

Step 4. Write the draft of your book's back cover copy. Covers sell books!

Step 5. Plan ahead -- Finding Professionals. This is a good time to start locating your book cover artist (front and back) if you aren't going to do it yourself. You also need to plan for these professional-quality services whether you do them yourself or hire them out - typesetter, printer, etc.

Step 6. Write your book. How do you get started writing? This shouldn't be too tough, since you have already written a detailed proposal, developed a working title, have designed a back cover and have written a sample chapter by now!

Step 7: Proof your book. Find several people to read your book -- people who know something about your topic, friends, and family members.

Step 8. Put it all together -- (your final, edited manuscript and cover) and get it to your printer (or wherever it is going for final formatting and distribution).

Step 9. Market and sell your book. Remember when you decided who you are writing this book for? Where will you find these folks? Do they read blogs? Visit Facebook? Buy and sell on Ebay? Really knowing your audience and marketing to them truly dictates a large part of your success.

Step 10. Fine tune your marketing plan. Start by figuring out what is working and increase those marketing activities. Look for other opportunities, too.