I want to be a better writer. There is a strong desire to write, publish, and share my insights, learnings, and deepest passions about life. I read a lot, seeking advice and leveraging information from others. To improve my skills as a writer, I have started reading a little more about writing and book publishing.
I came across the “Work from Home Series” by Sam Kerns and read, How to Publish a Book on Amazon: Real Advice from Someone Who’s Doing it Well. Sam Kerns provides actionable advice, outlining in detail how to publish a book on Amazon with the goal of producing a steady income. I found it refreshing to hear he is “someone who’s doing it well.” Sam has the data in the details of the book to prove the success.
Even if you are not quite ready to write a book, the advice and guidelines in Kerns’ book are useful in helping you improve your overall writing skills.
Book Notes
- Write about topics that appeal to a broad range of people
- Do lots of research, especially around keywords
- Write a lot – to improve your skill as a writer and to increase your opportunity to make a living as a writer
- Write good content – content that readers want
- Keep writing – a lot
Have a Plan for Writing a Book (can also be applicable to Blogging)
- Choose the book title – carefully based on keywords – to help readers find your book
- Create your table of contents
- Write the book
- Break it down to how many pages, words, or word count you want to write per day
- Or, write a chapter per day or section per day
- Write first, edit later
- Create a writing schedule and stick to it
- Use a timer to help minimize distractions
- Isolate yourself – just focus on the writing
- Set hard deadlines for yourself – for getting the writing done
The Editing Process
- Edit daily – do a quick edit at the beginning of your writing on what you have written the previous day
- And, edit at the end of the draft – once you’ve completed the first draft of your writing, read through it from start to finish and make notes/comments throughout
- Read through it and edit again
- Structural edit – hire a structural editor to evaluate the writing as a whole
- Beta readers – have friends/family or a local writing group read through your writing and provide feedback/comments
- Proofread – hire a proofreader as the final check before publishing
Tips on Writing a Book Description
- Use keywords
- Tags – these are also keywords; don’t forget to use them
- The first sentence is key
- Ask a question
- Make a promise
- Sell the book, don’t describe it
- Identify a pain point
- Offer a solution
- Point out benefits
- Clarity is essential
- Include a call to action
- Make the description stand out (bullet points, bold, italics)
I find the tips on writing a book description similar to advice on public speaking. It is important to get the listener’s attention, draw them in, then educate, inspire, or entertain them, and lead them to wanting more (call to action).
Sam offers other practical tips on pre-releasing a book through Amazon, how to format a book for publication, tips on book cover designs (even down to the color for the right category), using Kindle Unlimited, providing a paperback version of the book, an audio book version, book translations, how to get reviews, and marketing the book. There is a lot to consider in writing a book and sometimes this can be overwhelming. Sam breaks the tasks into do-able chunks and offers a ton of resources.
What do you want to write and why?
What helps you improve your writing skills?
Name your top three resources you leverage to become a better writer?
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