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1. Debbie Weil
Book & Writing Coach
Publisher of Voxie Media
Big Ideas. Short Books.™
Knock Down the ThreeKnock Down the Three
Biggest Stumbling BlocksBiggest Stumbling Blocks
to Writing a Bookto Writing a Book

2. 1. No time to write
2. Not knowing the WHAT or
WHY of your book
3. Don’t know how to organize
Three BiggestThree Biggest
Stumbling BlocksStumbling Blocks……

3. Just start…
The #1 SecretThe #1 Secret
to Writing a Bookto Writing a Book

4. Write daily
1st
thing in the AM
Try free writing
#1: No Time to Write#1: No Time to Write

5. Hemingway’s Writing Secret
Interviewer: When do you work? Do
you keep to a strict schedule? From a
1958 interview in the Paris Review
“When I am working on a book or story I write
every morning as soon after first light as
possible. There is no one to disturb you and it is
cool or cold and you come to your work and
warm as you write. You read what you have
written and, as you always stop when you
know what is going to happen next, you go
on from there.”

6. Set Concrete Goals
You can write 10K words in
19 days, if you write 526
words a day
At right, Scrivener’s
Project Target widget.
Scrivener is writing software
that many authors swear by.
#1: No Time to Write#1: No Time to Write

7. Write a sh*tty first
draft
Bad leads to good
Hold the self-criticism
Pencil image courtesy of Laurie FoleyPencil image courtesy of Laurie Foley
#1: No Time to Write#1: No Time to Write

8. Anne Lamott on the Shitty First
Draft
Quote from Anne Lamott’s classic book on writing: Bird By
Bird.
”The shitty first draft… All
good writers write them. This is
how they end up with good second
drafts and terrific third drafts.“

9. Challenge your
assumptions
Perfect
conditions?
How short can
your eBook be?
(10,000 words is
about 40 pages)
#1: No Time to Write#1: No Time to Write

10. What questions are your
clients or customers asking?
How can you help your
reader solve a problem?
Where do your passion and
expertise intersect with what
your readers want?
#2: Know Your WHAT &#2: Know Your WHAT &
WHYWHY

11. What is your book
ABOUT for you?
Your goal could be
speaking
engagements.
What is your book
ABOUT from your
reader’s perspective?
#2: Know Your WHAT &#2: Know Your WHAT &
WHYWHY

12. Put your reader first.
If your book is about
public speaking, the
WHY for your reader is
that you will help her
overcome an obstacle
(FEAR) and Make a
Dream Come True
#2: Know your WHAT & WHY#2: Know your WHAT & WHY

13. #3: Ways to Organize Your#3: Ways to Organize Your
BookBook
Try theTry the
clotheslineclothesline
method.method.
Drop yourDrop your
ideas into fiveideas into five
buckets ofbuckets of
content.content.

14. #3: Ways to Organize Your#3: Ways to Organize Your
BookBook
First, try mindFirst, try mind
mapping.mapping.
Use a giantUse a giant
white board.white board.
Do this withDo this with
an editor oran editor or
coach orcoach or
colleague.colleague.

15. Repackage a
speech,
workshop, or
webinar into a first
draft
Set up interviews
with experts and
record them.
Transcribe.
#3: Ways to Organize Your#3: Ways to Organize Your
BookBook

16. Different formulas for a business book:
Collection of blog posts
Linked essays (with a unifying intro)
Chronology (month by month)
Business novella (parable or story)
Numbered list (7 Habits of Highly Effective People)
#3: Ways to Organize Your#3: Ways to Organize Your
BookBook

17. It’s more doable
It’s more readable
Takes advantage of
Kindle publishing
Why the emphasis onWhy the emphasis on
a short book?a short book?

18. Will my book make money?
Your book is part of a bigger business model
Value of you’re a “Published Author” now
Repackage your book into a speech or
workshop
Think in terms of a series of short eBooks
Question I get asked aQuestion I get asked a
lotlot

19. Debbie Weil is an author, a book coach, and a publisher. She now lives
on the coast of Maine and in Brooklyn, New York after 31 years in
Washington D.C.
She and her physician husband decided to take a “Gap Year After Sixty” in
2013. They left D.C., moved to Stonington, Maine and set about reinventing
themselves in a small town. The reinvention continues…
Debbie gives live writing workshops in Maine and in New York. She also does
private book coaching, working one-on-one with authors via Skype. She is
passionate about helping authors journey over the mountain from Big Idea
(often stuck in your head) to words on the page and, finally, a book.
Her company, Voxie Media, is a boutique publishing company that helps
authors turn their completed manuscripts into beautiful books, both print and
in digital form.
Debbie is a former journalist. She launched her first Web site in 1995, and
was named one of Washington D.C.’s Top Tech Titans a few years ago.
She is the author of The Corporate Blogging Book, one of the first books
about business blogging. The updated edition is on Kindle. More at
http://voxiemedia.com
About DebbieAbout Debbie

20. email: debbie@voxiemedia.com
website: http://voxiemedia.com
coming soon!
http://writewithdebbie.com
Contact DebbieContact Debbie