3 Tips To Help Anyone Write A Self-Published Book

3 Tips To Help Anyone Write A Self-Published Book

I published my first book at the age of 25 and as you can imagine it was a difficult journey and an even longer process.

Not only did I learn a lot about myself during this time, but I also learned about what it takes to write, edit, design, market, and promote a self-published novel.

Now that I am currently writing my second book (can’t give away details just yet), I look back at that first book and realize what I did wrong during the process and how I can improve on it the second time around.

The first thing I always tell anyone who has thoughts about publishing a book is that you have to understand that you can’t write a book for the sake of writing a book.

Please know that is the absolute worst way to go about it. The last thing the world needs is another book full of narcissism and self-praise.

That’s not what it’s about.

It has to serve a purpose. It has to aim to make an impact on a specific group of people. It has to add value to someone else’s life.

Of course, you want to profit off of your hard work, but at the same time, your focus should be on making a difference and adding a unique perspective to the world. 

It’s not about just making money.

Once you understand the “why” and purpose behind your book, then it all comes down to the writing process which majority of people have the most trouble starting.

Writing came naturally for me. For me, it was the editing part that was hard, but I know that people struggle to put their words on paper so here are 3 tips that I used to write the book that helped me start building my brand.

3 Tips For Writing A Self-Published Book

1. Pick A Daily Word Goal & Stick To It- Most people look at a 50,000-word book and get overwhelmed at the thought of putting 50,000 words on paper. In the beginning, I felt the same way. I looked at 50,000, 40,000 or even 30,000 words as impossible to tackle, but I was told by someone that it isn’t as much about the word count as it is about the impact that you’re trying to make with the book. So I tried to not focus on the total amount of words I wanted to write. Plus, once you break it down into small, consistent and daily goals, that 50,000 seems a lot easier to accomplish. It goes back to the saying “how do you eat an elephant?” The answer is alwyas one bite at a time. It’s about taking a big goal, which might seem impossible to finish and making a daily commitment to get it done no matter how long it takes. It’s still going to be hard, it’s still going to require a ton of discipline and sacrifice, but that’s what it’s supposed to be like. That’s why most people don’t finish writing books. If you commit to writing just 300 words a day, 300 words a day x 166 days = 50,000 words total. In this case, it would take you about 5 months to write a book. It’s as simple as that. Set a daily word goal and stick to it no matter what. This is not to say that you won’t run into roadblocks or setbacks because they’re bound to happen, but it makes this overwhelming goal much more doable.
2. Stay Consistent With The Time & Place You Write- Another tip that helped me was staying consistent with the time and place I wrote. I would try different times and places to see what worked best for me, but once I found a good routine, I would try to stick with it for at least two weeks. Sometimes I would write early in the morning at home, but other times I would write in the early afternoon at Starbucks. If you find a good flow and routine that fits your schedule, stick to that time until you feel a need to change. Writing is all about the flow and eliminating anything that can prevent you from have a free mind. Once you take away all distractions and get in that zone, the words will write themselves, but you have to figure out what works best for you and keep that a routine for a certain period of time.
3. Don’t Edit While You Write- I made this mistake while writing my first book but getting advice from other authors, I found this tip to be very helpful especially now going through the writing process again. DO NOT EDIT WHILE YOU WRITE. Just write and keep writing. You have to view them as two separate processes because that’s what they are. Writing is one thing and editing, in itself, is another. It doesn’t matter how many mistakes you make. It doesn’t matter how many grammar errors you have or misspellings or punctuation oversights. Trust me, it’s all good. Let it go for the time being and just get your words out there. Going back to edit while you write disrupts your flow and takes away from your creative mind. Once you have your daily word goal, make that commitment and find your routine, then just write. Write until you feel like you’re satisfied for the day, then wake up and do it all over again.

Writing A Book Is Easier Than You Think

If you would have told me 5 years ago that I would be a published author, I wouldn’t have believed you at all.

It was never my plan, or never something I wanted to do.

It was never something that appealed to me in any sense, but now I felt like it is partially what I was called to do.

What happened by accident became the thing that helped me see myself as more than an athlete. People ask me all the time, how I got started doing what I do, and I sometimes fail to mention that it started with me just writing.

Writing about my experiences. Writing about my past. Writing about the obstacles that I went through and overcame as an athlete.

Writing was therapy at first and it allowed me to free my thoughts.

Now I see it as a gift.

Writing within itself is just a method of expression and communication. Writing a book is no different than writing a blog or article. I think most of us make it out to be something that only a select few people can do.

I believe that everyone has a book in them, it’s just a matter of figuring out what your purpose for it is, understanding who will it impact and lastly just making a commitment to do it.

That’s all it’s about.

If you feel compelled to make a difference with your words, just sit down and write, everything else will follow.

Trust me.

Malcolm Lemmons is a former professional athlete turned entrepreneur, author, and speaker. He is the founder of Players Point Agency and host of Players Point Podcast. He has been featured in the Huffington Post, TVOne, ABC & WJLA. To check out more from Malcolm, visit his website at www.malcolmlemmons.comor connect with him on Twitter& Instagram.

Want to see how I went from being a professional athlete to becoming an entrepreneur? Click the link to get your free ebook of The Pivot Game: https://eepurl.com/c7hiP9