I am writing a book.
It’s a bit of an unexpected thing to be doing if I’m honest. I’m not someone who has always wanted to write a book; quite the opposite. I wrote a thesis at university and that was quite enough thanks!
I have been on a bit of a roller coaster with the ‘book’ since January and I thought it might be interesting to share the story with you over a few blogs and then keep you up to date with how it’s going. I have learnt so much over the last 9 months and some of it might help future authors and may even persuade you to have a go if you aren’t keen (yet!)
It all started with an innocent networking meeting
Last summer I spent a day with some fabulous ladies at a networking meeting. One of the first people I met was Alison Jones who helps small business owners write books that help to grow their business. She seemed very nice but I wasn’t going to write a book so while I would have been a happy to go for a drink with her I wasn’t really interested in her business offer.
A week or so later, having connected on social media, I saw a 10 day challenge from Alison. The Book Proposal Challenge promised to help you write a book proposal in 10 days with her support. I had liked Alison and was interested in what she did (and the system she used to deliver her 10 day challenge, spying don’t tell her) so I signed up. I did the first 3 days then fell off the wagon and forgot all about the challenge.
And another networking event
Fast forward to February 2017. Another business buddy had recommended a workshop with business mentor called Daniel Priestley. It was in Birmingham, reasonably priced and I enjoy learning new things so off I went. About an hour into the day Daniel was talking about how every business needs a book. You need a book to position yourself as an expert. He listed so many compelling reasons to write a book that I was almost convinced.
Coincidentally, not long after, Alison was re running her book proposal challenge. I signed up again but with more enthusiasm. The benefits were a bit clearer but I still felt like it would be The Most Boring Book in the world. The proposal challenge covers who might buy your book, what problems you are solving, how you will market your book and much more. By the end of the challenge I had convinced myself that it really was worth writing the book. There was a market and I was going to go ahead and write!
Alison’s Proposal Challenge has started again today so hurry on over and sign up if you’d like to write a business book of your own. I’ll be back soon with the next instalment of my book writing journey. I looked at lots of ‘systems’ and ‘tools’ to help me get it done and I look forward to sharing them with you over the next few weeks.
Have you thought about writing a book? Are you writing one?