The How to Write a Book Book, it's Not about the Writing

By Barbara MacKay

This easy-to-read book feels like a conversation with your personal book editor. It’s the perfect book for aspiring authors who recognize the value a book brings to a personal or business brand but say, “I don’t know how to write.” or “I don’t know how to start.”
Even if you don’t think of yourself as a writer, you can write—and sell—a successful nonfiction book. This book will show you how to:

gain clarity with your idea,
position your book for success,
draft a detailed outline,
write your first draft,
revise and polish your draft, and
go to market with confidence.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barbara MacKay
• Release date: Aug 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9780992026622

Barbara MacKay

A ghostwriter, author, and marketing professional, I’ve written hundreds of articles for mainstream publications in Canada, the USA, and worldwide and authored or ghostwritten nonfiction books, including how-to, self-help, guidebooks, and memoir.As a marketing-communications business leader for 20 years, I guided award-winning marketing strategies and creative and defined brands for clients in tech, media, healthcare, and finance.

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The HOW TO WRITE A BOOK Book

It’s Not About The Writing

Barbara MacKay

Toronto, 2021

Copyright © 2021 Barbara MacKay

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies or people referenced within this book have endorsed the book.

ISBN: 978-0-9920266-2-2

Cover Design: Gillette & Associates

About This Book

If you recognize the value a book brings to your personal or business brand but don’t know how to turn your knowledge into a book, read on!

Even if you don’t think of yourself as a writer, you can write—and sell—a successful nonfiction book.

This book will show you how to:

gain clarity with your idea,

position your book for success,

draft a detailed outline,

write the first draft,

revise and polish your draft, and

go to market with confidence.

Dedication

For Isabel and Nicholas and my sister, Cathy.

Acknowledgments

Sincere thanks to the authors I have worked with and learned from, to my good friend and designer extraordinaire, Jon Gillette, for a beautiful book cover, to meticulous proofreader Jo Calvert, and to my dear friend Donna Boot for her unwavering support.

Introduction

Congratulations! You’ve taken the first step toward writing your book—reading this one!

If you recognize the value authoring a book brings to your personal or business brand, then this is the book for you.

Writing a book reinforces your credibility and positions you as an authority. A book is a versatile marketing tool. It can strengthen your existing brand, support a rebranding, and open new doors for you. Even if you don’t think of yourself as a writer, you can write a successful nonfiction book.

This book gives you essential information and advice on each step in writing a nonfiction book. You’ll learn how to:

gain clarity with your idea,

position your book for success,

draft a detailed outline,

write the first draft,

revise and polish your draft, and

go to market with confidence.

You don’t need to be a writer to author a successful nonfiction book. You don’t need to be a Hemingway or an Atwood. You are writing a nonfiction book, not a literary work. You need a good idea, a convincing argument delivered in an ordered, logical way, a distinct positioning strategy, and straightforward writing.

This book is for aspiring authors of nonfiction, such as how-to, self-help, business-theory, business-practice, finance, health, environment, lifestyle, and technology books. Memoir and autobiography are also nonfiction. This book is not specifically for memoir writers, but the essential steps for prewriting and post-writing are the same.

If you have an idea to share—such as a practice, a process, a theory, an approach to business, to living, or a way to succeed in business or life—then you can write a book! Or, if you know a lot of stuff but you're not sure what to write about or how to turn your knowledge into a book, read on!

Much of what you will do to create a ready-for-publication book is not writing—it’s planning and positioning. Your first step is essential, and it happens before any writing even begins.

This prewriting stage comprises essential development duties. It’s where your ideas begin to come together as a book. You’ll do some market research, you’ll decide on the best format for sharing your knowledge, you’ll discover what further research you need to do, you’ll determine who your market is—the audience for your book—and how your ideas can meet your audience’s needs. You’ll also consider why you want to write this book, determining your personal or business objectives.

All this discovery work prepares the way for creating a detailed book outline—chapter by chapter. This outline is your guiding document. It saves you time and money—and contributes to your success.

This book outlines the complete process for getting from idea to author. For instance, information about how to choose a title and position your book to enhance sales; the different parts of a book, such as your table of contents; how to quote people and papers; and the formatting necessary for digital and print. You’ll also find practical guidance for your marketing strategy and the marketing tactics you’ll use to promote your book. There are even some basic writing tips to bolster your writing confidence!

Self-publishing is an increasingly popular option, thanks to a wide selection of available software and the opportunity to reach markets directly. Self-publishing doesn’t mean you have to do it all yourself. It means you are the project manager. You may decide to hire a designer to create your book cover or a developmental editor to help you organize your ideas into chapters. As a self-publishing project manager, it’s up to you to set the deadlines and the budget.

Digital technology has changed publishing, making it accessible to everyone. You can use print-on-demand to print only the number of books you need, without any required minimum. And, publishing digital books allows you to deliver your story to markets around the world!

In this book, I share knowledge I have gained from more than 20 years as a writer and marketing professional, working with people who tell me they don’t know how to write, what to write, how to start, or how to organize their ideas. I’ve helped dozens of people to finish their nonfiction books, including self-help, how-to, guidebooks, finance, design, and even memoir.

I am Canadian, and, where possible, I reference Canadian markets, sources, and resources. Some of this book’s information appeared in published blogs on the Make Hay Communications website and in the MakeBook newsletter. I’ve brought it all together here to provide a complete and comprehensive guide to writing a nonfiction book.

The information is presented in the order in which you will use it as you write your book. Planning first, then writing, then revisions, then the steps to publishing. It’s all here for you.

So, let’s get started.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I.BEFORE WRITING

Chapter 1 Why Are You Writing?

Determining Your Motive

Reasons To Write A Book

A Book Supports Your Brand

Riches And Revenge

Overcoming Objections

Why Me And Why Now?

You Don’t Need To Be The Expert

Memoir Is Writerly

Giving And Getting

Chapter 2 What Are You Writing?

Finding Your Subject Matter

Browse Your Category

Brainstorming For One

Freewriting

Mind Map

Review The Competition

Writing Book Reviews

Identify Your Reader

Research

Notes On Note-taking

Tips On Interviewing

Chapter 3 Bringing The Pieces Together

Five Steps To Every Writer’s Journey

Creating Order

The Benefits Of An Outline

One Book, Two Books

Advice From Friends And Family

Creating A Positioning Statement

Writing Your Introduction

II. WRITING AND REVISING

Chapter 4 Writing With Clarity And Verve

Basics Of Paragraphs

Punctuation

Process

The Writer’s Voice

The Colour And Play-by-play

How Much Of You

Getting Over The Hump

Chapter 5 Making Revisions

Good Writing Is Rewriting

Editing Canadian English

Types Of Editing

Say It Aloud

Editing Is Often Eliminating

Citations

How To Quote, Paraphrase, And Attribute

Plagiarism And Permission

Libel And Slander

Footnotes Or Endnotes

III. DESIGN AND FORMATTING

Chapter 6 The Look Of Your Book

Publishing Options

Parts Of A Book

Design And Layout

Digital And Paper

Formatting Your Manuscript

Name That Book

Judging The Cover

IV. MARKETING PLAN AND MARKETING ACTION

Chapter 7 Marketing Strategy

Market Research

Marketing Mix

Paid Owned Earned Media

Platform

Revisit Objectives

Revisit Positioning

Plan Ready

Chapter 8 Marketing Tactics

Message Your Market

Content Marketing

Digital Marketing

Promotional Writing

Tips For Copywriting

Email Marketing

Book Reviews

Book Launch

A Website For Your Book

Top 10 Items On Your Book Website

Speaking Opportunities

If You Are Presenting

If You Are The Interview Subject

About the Author

I. BEFORE WRITING

Chapter 1

Why Are You Writing?

Do you hear people say, You oughta write a book!?

It's nice to have supporters.

You might hear it from friends, family, colleagues, or business peers. Perhaps they enjoy your unique perspective or the way you tell a story. Maybe they