Anna Maria Richards
When people sit and decide about their career, they think about every other profession, except writing. According to Statista, a survey in 2018 found that there were a little over 45,000 writers in the US, out of which only 21 percent of writers saw their hundred percent income coming from books.
The beauty of choosing writing as a career is that it is a relatively less-competitive field. As you enter a domain that has fewer professionals and more amateurs, just by getting the basics right, you can automatically get elevated to the next stage without racking your brains.
Making a living out of writing, however, is easy to say, but hard to execute, at least until you have an infallible plan that will always make you stay relevant in the world of writing.
Read on to find out foolproof and time-tested ways to spend your life as a writer and discover how a book writing software can be your most trusted companion in the life-changing journey.
The Basics of Book Writing
Before starting the journey to becoming a high-performing author, the one whose books would consistently churn revenue, you must know the basic things all top-notch writers do when they set out on the mission that would eventually transform their lives.
1. Decide the Goals
The first thing all high-performing authors do is to write for the audience and not for themselves. You might have an idea that seems to be the best, but if your audience does not like it, then the book can only decorate the shelves.
Hence, before taking out the pen and paper, try to have concrete and well-recorded answers to the following questions:
- What are the readers’ age group and background?
- What would motivate the readers to buy your book?
- What is your readers’ pain point?
- Will your book be read from start to finish, or will it be used as a reference book?
Getting these doubts cleared will make the process of goal-setting easier, which will also make the process of idea generation more practical.
2. Structure of the Book
Starting to write a book is super-easy. Staying put as time progresses is challenging. To ensure you stay as focused while writing the last page as you were while writing the first page, there has to be a solid plan.
Once you figure out what your audience loves, try to prepare a one-page outline of the subject you wish to write on. After the outline is ready, prepare the table of contents.
The next step is to divide the chapters into equal-sized sections and sub-sections.
3. Count the Total Number of Words
Unlike what most amateur writers perceive, writing is a targeted activity.
Each reader has their specific expectations about how many words they would like to read in a book. For example, when the reader buys a novel, they expect its length to be less than an epic.
Generally, all high-performing writers keep their total word count in the range as defined below.
- Pamphlet or white paper – 8k to 10k
- Fiction or non-fiction eBook – 10k to 20k
- Novella or non-fiction book – 20k to 60k
- Novel – 60k to 80k
- Long Novel or drama – 80k to 100k
- Epic, Biography, or academic book – More than 100,000 words
Hence, even before writing the first word, you will have to decide the total number of words your book will have. This would not only make the book appealing to the target audience but also make your task of book writing easier.
4. Start Writing
Once you know the goals of writing the book, the structure of the book, and the total number of words your book will have, the next step is to buckle up and start writing.
Quite often, you would find writers who started writing their first book with zeal but lost interest as time progressed, and the work of art went on a perennial procrastination-mode.
As writing can often make you feel lonely, you need to have a proper time-management strategy that can ensure timely completion of your book.
Follow the steps below to make sure you never lose focus from the task of writing:
- Write every day at around the same time. Pre-decide the word count and aspire to meet the target every day.
- Select a conducive place to write, a place that is noise and distraction-free.
- Set weekly deadlines; target one chapter a week and take stock of the progress on the last day of the week.
- Get your book reviewed during the drafting stage. While there is no doubt that you are putting in your best efforts to produce the book, there might be a few loose ends that may skip your eyes.
5. Introduction, Copyright page
The copyright page of a book is often overlooked, but it contains important information about the book’s publication. The copyright page typically includes the author’s name, the copyright holder’s name, the publication date, and the ISBN. This page also often includes information about the edition of the book, the printer, and the type of paper used. In some cases, the copyright page will also include a statement from the copyright holder granting permission for photocopying or other uses. While this page may seem unimportant, it actually contains a wealth of information about the book.So you should start by this.
Now open your book with introduction page, where the author introduces himself to the reader and sets the tone for the rest of the book. It is important to make a good first impression, because once the reader has turned the page, there is no going back. The introduction page is your one chance to make a lasting impression on the reader, so make it count.
The Top Ways to Market Your Book
Now you know all about creating a bestselling book follow the steps below to ensure that your book generates steady revenue, thus fulfilling your dream of making a living out of writing.
1. Rely on eMarketing
Earlier, writers waited to publish their books in literary festivals. But, with COVID-19 throwing such events to the backburner, it’s time you should shift to eMarketing.
On a positive note, promoting your book on the internet is a lot easier and cheaper than marketing it through traditional means.
Social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Whatsapp, LinkedIn, and Instagram can be your go-to place if you want to reach more readers.
You may also register yourself on publisher platforms and engage with readers.
2. Solve Readers’ Queries
As you visit the social media websites mentioned above, find out readers’ queries on topics that match your area of interest.
By solving others’ problems, you can create a loyal user base who will always look for your advice on pertinent issues.
Once you create a loyal follower base, use platforms like Facebook and YouTube to go live. Live interactions with readers can be the best way to spread the word about your book and get more buyers.
3. Take Help of an Influencer
Influencer marketing is the future. Contact someone who has a large number of followers and enter into a contract where the influencer would promote your book.
While there are many ways to market your book, nothing is as effective as this one. As you use the influencer to generate leads, keep a record of the leads. The list would come in handy when you plan to launch your next book.
Conclusion
Making a living out of writing can be easy if you have a flawless and appealing book. While most amateur writers create exceptional fictional or non-fictional books, they lose out on quality customers because of poor formatting.
If you want to be one among the 21 percent writers who earn a hundred percent of their income from books, try out the best book writing software to help you make your writing process easier.
