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!
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