Did you know Voltaire wrote Candide in three days? IN FRENCH?? Now that’s talent. (And for the record, it’s also not true. But a great story, yeah?)
You can write your own book in three days. It probably won’t be the Great American Novel. It probably won’t be your Signature Book. (I sincerely hope you won’t write your signature book in 3 days — you’re heading for a world of hurt/embarrassment.) But, this is a great method for leaping that first hurdle—getting started. This is a solid method for quick ebooks and how-tos and it’s an easy way to do a brain dump and get your first rough draft onto paper.
I learned this method from Dave Lakhani at one of his seminars (find him at BoldApproach.com). He would probably tell you he learned it from someone else. Good information tends to get shared. So, it’s your turn to benefit.
If you prefer video, let me hook you up: Write Your Book in 3 Days
For the rest of us, here are the steps written out for you:
- Grab about 15 sheets of paper
- Write your main topic on the first sheet of paper
- Come up with 10 – 15 subtopics on your subject
- Copy each subtopic onto its own sheet of paper
- Write 10 – 15 questions on each subtopic that people would like to or should know
- Have a friend interview you and record it digitally
- Send audio files to a transcriptionist
- Edit the transcriptions into an ebook, book or manual
- Publish
So… what are you waiting for? It’s time to write your own book!**
** Okay, those are the steps but the actual doing is a bit harder. The video goes into detail on each of the steps and offers up some places to find transcriptionists, cover designers, and how to actually publish your book.
I actually use a version of this method with my coaching students and ghostwriting clients. As I said, the actual doing is more complex than this. For example, coming up with 10-15 questions on each subtopic can take a bit of time and research. Structure and organization are more involved for longer books than the traditionally short ebook. But this will give you a running start on writing your book. Enjoy!
