Have you ever wondered what obstacles there are in writing a book? Before writing my first book, I never could have imagined the highs and lows I would experience in writing a book. But I learned and quick.
This post outlines what I experienced and how I overcame obstacles in writing my next book.
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Obstacle #1 – Figure out my ‘goal’ for writing book #2
My reason for writing Time to Refresh was clear: Show readers how I renewed my mind following my third job layoff. At the time, I wasn’t concerned about making money, seeing my book in stores, or making the bestseller list. All I wanted was to get my thoughts out of my head and organized into a book.
Since the first book, I know the importance of incorporating SMART goals in the book writing process. Besides, I researched book marketing by reading, The Book Marketing Audit and learned about setting goals based on the costs associated with producing a book. The Book Marketing Audit outlined the following categories which I considered in writing my new book:
- Glory and fame – The satisfaction of seeing my book on bookshelves, read by book clubs, or honored by literary organizations.
- Build a fan base – Answering the call made by Time to Refresh readers to write something new and just as satisfying.
- Earn a certain amount of money per year – Catapult my new writing career into an annual salary.
- Building my brand for my business – Before finishing my book, I started my own writing business to help companies and people write better content.
- Break-even – Make enough money to cover the cost of writing, producing, distributing, and promoting my book.
Time to do the math
I decided on two goals: (1) Break-even; and (2) Earn a certain amount of money per year. Why two goals? First, my decision to choose break-even helps me take in the same amount of money to produce my second book. Second, once I reach my break-even goal, it would be nice to add any profits made from my book’s sale as part of my business income.
But first, I need to determine the costs to publish my next book. After doing research, my estimated expenses for book cover design, editing, formatting, printing, and book launch marketing and public relations will be between $3,650 and $7,750. Also, I plan to factor the royalty fees associated with print and ebooks on:
Amazon (printed and Kindle) and Ingram Spark
into my expenses.
Obstacle #2 – Finding time to write my next book
Despite being laid-off when I wrote my first book, I still had a full schedule with family, church, and community activities. During the book writing process for book #2, I have two new responsibilities: (1) business owner and (2) community college instructor.
So how do I find the time to write? Here’s my current formula:
- Use a writing journal: I’m using a journal this time to track both all writing and non-writing tasks needed to complete my book.
- Schedule writing sessions: I schedule time on my calendar to write for a minimum of two hours per day.
- Eliminate unnecessary distractions: Email and social media can wait until after I finish writing.
- Plan for other distractions: It’s hard to put your family on hold during the book writing process. My schedule has enough flexibility to take care of my commitments involving family and friends.
- Track my word count: I didn’t do this last time, but I plan to keep track of my daily word count as a motivator and gauge to monitor my progress.
Obstacle #3 — Creating a book production plan
As I mentioned before, my only goal with book #1 was to finish writing and publishing book #1. For my next book, I created a book production plan using Trello. One note about my plan: one size does not fit all. My project fits my needs and includes having a:
- To-do List – I like to keep track of tasks I am working on.
- Self-Publishing Checklist – I decided to follow a self-publishing checklist published by the Nonfiction Authors Association that reminds me to do everything from secure ISBNs to book design.
- Book Marketing Plan – This plan outlines my book launch plan, publicity, media, and marketing tactics.
- Word Count Tracker – Before each of my writing sessions, I determine how many words I want to write using a word count tracker.
Writer at work — Creating the perfect workspace.
I wrote my first book standing at my kitchen island. Every morning after my workout, I would spend two hours writing in my kitchen. I know most people think writing in the kitchen is a bad idea, but I could write during a time of day when everyone was out of the house. Sometimes I wrote more than two hours and in places other than the kitchen, but mostly all of my writing occurred while standing.
Since the first book, I have a new writing space equipped with a standing desk and all the supplies I need to get the job done. Here’s a list of supplies to consider for your writing space:
Ready, set, write!
I have my plan in place, and now I am ready to start outlining and gathering research for book #2. Whether the plan works or not is yet to be seen. But I’m excited and ready to go.
If you are writing your next book or your first book and have questions, let me know if I can help.
