If you’ve been consistently blogging for a year or more, and have your blog posts categorized, you’re likely ready to convert some of your posts into a book. How exciting is that? And it’s a relatively simple process!

1. Determine theme and title

Decide on a theme for your book using your ideal client’s pain points and blog categories. Select your book title and subtitle. Create an outline in a new Word document.

2. Select blog posts

Review your blog posts and select those which address your ideal client’s pain points. Create your sh*tty first draft by copying the blog posts’ text into your outline. Keep going until you have a full document (between 60-100 pages).

3. Read and adjust

Read the entire document. Ask yourself:

• What’s missing?
• Where do I need to elaborate?
• Where should I cut?
• What transitions are needed?
• Do I want to add journal prompts or chapter checklists?

Make the necessary adjustments.

4. Edit

Read your book through again and then edit. At least twice. Hiring a professional editor is always a good investment. Why? A professional editor provides a fresh viewpoint and grammatical and style knowledge. She can also provide proofreading expertise.

Ninja tip: Have beta readers go through your book and provide feedback. Incorporate feedback that supports your vision or clarifies your message.

5. Design your cover

Design your book cover. Again, hiring a graphic designer provides the best outcome, but you can use Canva or Adobe’s InDesign to create a professional-looking cover. Be sure to have your 50-word biography and headshot for the back cover. Write a synopsis for both the back cover and Amazon.

6. Publish

Unless you’ve pitched your book to a publishing house, your best option is to use Amazon’s CreateSpace to self-publish. If you’re new to CreateSpace, you’ll need to first set-up an account and complete all the tax identification stuff. Once the paperwork is complete, you can follow the guided process to upload your book and cover, select a book category, and complete publishing details.

7. Launch + celebrate

Successfully launching your book takes a village. There’s a science behind when, how, and who ought to help you—and on which social media platforms. Be sure to celebrate adding author (hopefully, best-selling author) to your title!

If you’d like to explore taking your blog posts to a book, schedule a free virtual coffee date with me. I’d love to support you!