Kainosprint

Yesterday I posted part 1 of this series. I conclude today with part 2. However I will be posting at least another ten blogs on self publishing over the next few weeks, covering subjects such as:

ISBN,
CiP,
stupid mistakes that make you look unprofessional,
the cover,
the need for an editor, and
marketing advice.

In yesterday’s blog, I mentioned a quote I came across from a writer who observes. “Here’s my theory about the New York Times bestseller list: the most successful writers aren’t the most talented. They’re the most stubborn.” In other words, the most successful writers are not necessarily the best, but the most disciplined.

Here are another six “hints” on the disciplines required to write successfully. My thanks again to an article by Joseph Finder from which much of this material is drawn. You can find the article here.

6. Writing is a job. Treat it like one. Don’t work at home; work from an office. If you don’t have an office, set aside a place that is just for you and your writing. If you treat your writing like work, your family and friends should do the same, and be more respectful of that writing time. No one thinks twice about interrupting a hobby, so make it clear that it’s not a hobby; it’s work. It’s your time.

7. Be ruthless in managing your time. This is the biggest problem most writers have. One suggestion is to use an hourglass for use when you are writing — or the timer on your iPhone.

8. No e-mail, FaceBook, Twitter, Google+ or other social medial! E-mail is truly our modern curse. It interrupts our attention span, fragments our concentration. Quit out of your email programme, your browser and any other social media applications. If you need to use the internet whilst you are writing, consider using another browser with no bookmarks to tempt you (but see hint one yesterday — just write — worry about word choice, grammar, getting facts right and research later!)

9. Set interim goals. A full-length novel can be anywhere from 75,000 to 150,000 words, or even longer. If you think about having to write 75,000 words – 200 pages – you’ll freak yourself out. But if you write 1,000 words a day, you can finish the first draft of a novel in less than three months, even if you take some weekend days off.

10. Work toward a deadline. Everyone needs deadlines.

11. Reward yourself. In The Fine Art of Feedback, I write about the challenges of getting and processing feedback – but while you’re writing, it’s not unusual for your brain to second-guess everything you’re doing. Override this by promising yourself rewards for getting work done. “When I hit 5,000 words, I’m going to the movies,” or even, “When I finish this paragraph, I can have another cup of coffee.” It worked in kindergarten and it will work for you now.

At Kainos Print, we constantly encourage our customers to consider turning their accumulated wisdom, or creative ideas into books.

We wrote in a recent blog “Marketing gurus such as Perry Marshall (acknowledged as the leading Google AdWords expert in the world), and our own customer, John Dwyer of “the Institute of WOW” both encourage their clients to write books to stand our from the crowd and achieve the status of expert. People will pay to access your expertise. There’s nothing like a book you have written to establish your authority and promote your career.

“Are you a story teller? Perhaps then you have a novel in you, or a children’s book. Are you an artist, or a photographer? Consider publishing a book of your works.

“Self publishing makes it easy to print a small quantity to test the market, and to develop your marketing skills without breaking the bank.”

Frequently, it is not the lack of wisdom or the lack of ideas, but the lack of self-discipline that prevents people from converting great ideas into great books.

We like a quote I came across recently from one writer who observes “Here’s my theory about the New York Times bestseller list: the most successful writers aren’t the most talented. They’re the most stubborn.”

Here are some hints that may help you overcome the disciple road-block. These are drawn mainly from Joseph Finder’s article which you can find here.

1. Just write it. Fix it later. That means: don’t worry about word choice or grammar. Don’t worry about getting your facts right.

2. You do have time — if you really want to do it. Set yourself some book writing boundaries. Make the decision that you will write every day from six to eight in the morning, or from 10 to 12 at night and every Sunday evening — whatever works for you, but make sure that you write daily. If  you start making enough money from your writing to be able to quit your day job, you may find that you become far less efficient. You have all day to do what you used to do in two hours, and all you do is fulfil Parkinson’s Law that says that work will expand to fill the time available. Not having a lot of free time to write may well make you more efficient.

3. If you have a full-time job, you could write during your lunch break, away from your desk, but not too far away. Being away from distractions is essential.

4. If you are self-employed, or in a full-time job that allows you to do this. Consider adopting one of the most helpful business hints I ever came across. Quit out of your email when you go home, or leave the office at night. Spend the first hour of the new working day writing, before you give any attention to anything, including email.

5. Enlist help to keep you honest. It could be your spouse, a friend, a work colleague. Give that person permission to “speak firmly” to you, and above all, ensure that person maintains the discipline of regularly checking on you.

Part 2 tomorrow.

We have seen a great many family history books pass through our system in very small print runs — some as small as ten copies — that deserve a much bigger circulation because they deal with a period of history the witnesses to which are rapidly dying off. They are invariably beautifully written and contain dozens of unique photos of historical value. Don’t think for a moment that your family history is only of interest to your family! And they are, of course, always self published.

Perhaps you have been in the one career for decades, and have a huge amount of knowledge and expertise in the your field which you most likely take for granted. Whether you realise it or no, you are an expert. Write a book distilling your experience and expertise. When you do his, you become an expert and an authority in your field.

Marketing gurus such as Perry Marshall (acknowledged as the leading Google AdWords expert in the world), and our own customer, John Dwyer of “the Institute of WOW” both encourage their clients to write books to stand our from the crowd and achieve the status of expert. People will pay to access your expertise. There’s nothing like a book you have written to establish your authority and promote your career.

Are you a story teller? Perhaps then you have a novel in you, or a children’s book. Are you an artist, or a photographer? Consider publishing a book of your works.

Self publishing makes it easy to print a small quantity to test the market, and to develop your marketing skills without breaking the bank.