What’s the most common obstacle that keeps aspiring authors from publishing their work? It’s not a lack of writing skills. It’s not a dearth of knowledge. And, it’s certainly not an absence of ambition. If you ask most authors why they haven’t finished their book, the answer is simple: time.
As a non-fiction author, you’re juggling multiple responsibilities. You’re serving your audience, managing your brand, and balancing personal commitments. On top of that, you’re creating new content, marketing on social media, managing collaborations, and so on.
So, when could you possibly find the time to write a book?
Chances are, you’ve already written it.
Yes, you read that right. If you’ve been maintaining a blog for a few months or more, you’ve likely already penned the content for your book. All that’s left is to organize and edit it.
Even if you don’t have a blog (and if not, why not?), or if your blog is still in its infancy, it’s relatively easy to structure your blog around your book’s theme.
Here’s how it works:
Think of your blog categories as sections and each post as a chapter. You can informally structure your book by organizing and compiling all your blog content in a logical order. Your book could encompass a single category or multiple categories. The choice is yours.
Remove any content that is self-promotional, time-sensitive, curated, or otherwise unsuitable for a book. Get rid of the calls-to-action. It doesn’t make sense to advertise your paid programs or affiliate offerings within a book.
What you’re left with is a rough draft of your book.
Books need a logical flow from one chapter to the next, so you’ll likely need to tweak the introductions and conclusions of your posts.
Don’t overlook spelling, grammar, and punctuation: In fact, hire someone else to handle it. It’s challenging to spot our own mistakes, and book readers are less forgiving than blog readers.
For content, enlist the help of a few trusted peers who can provide honest feedback. Ask them to read the manuscript and highlight any content that is unclear or could be explained better.
That’s it! After editing, your manuscript is ready for publication.
Worried that no one will read a book based on your blog?
Think again. Many bloggers have successfully turned their blogs into books, with some achieving remarkable success. Darren Rowse of ProBlogger.net wrote and published his highly popular blogging guide using content he had already shared on his site. Despite the content being freely available, he found that people bought the book for the convenience of having it all in one place.
Even fiction authors have recognized the power of blogging a book. Andy Weir, the author of “The Martian,” initially released his novel on a blog, chapter by chapter.
Don’t let excuses stop you from publishing your book. Use the content you’ve already created or strategically plan to convert your blog into a book. The important thing is to get it published!