I recently asked my Facebook friends what was stopping them from writing their books. One of the most common answers was that they lacked the time to do it. I totally get it! I have 36,000 words completed for one of my to-be-published novels, and can’t seem to find the time to finish the other 30,000ish words. It’s so hard to find the time. You’re juggling kids’ activities, keeping up with your household to-do list, making those client calls, bookkeeping… I get it. Finding the time to write a book can be a struggle.
But I just wrote about how important it is to get that book out to the public, so deep down you know it’s time to take a look at what you can do to make that happen—even if you think you can’t squeeze another minute out of anywhere.
Outsource It
Who says you have to write your book yourself? Did you know that many celebrities and top executives don’t actually pen their books themselves? Yes, it’s their ideas and stories, but many of them don’t physically write their books. They hire ghostwriters. It’s a tried and true way of getting a book written for those who:
• Don’t have time
• Feel like they don’t know how to write
• Don’t have a desire to write
No matter your reason for not being able to complete your book yourself, working with a ghostwriter can make it easy to achieve your publication goals. But what does that cost? Ghostwriters are available in any budget, but I caution you. You most likely will get quality equal to what you paid. While you may not want to (or be able to) pay several thousand dollars to hire a top writer, you shouldn’t hire someone solely on being the lowest price either.
Speak with several writers, look at samples of their work if they have something available (many work under an NDA and must keep their work private) and choose the best you can afford. You might get lucky and find a talented writer who is just getting started as a ghostwriter and won’t charge what they probably could. When I first started ghostwriting, I didn’t charge nearly the amount I should have. But, I was dipping my toes in the water, so I charged less.
Repurpose Content
If you’ve been writing content for a while, the chances are good that you have a wealth of material that might be easy to convert into a book.
• Your blog
• Email templates
• Free opt-in lead magnets
• Paid products
• Podcast episodes
• Training webinars
• Social media posts
All of these and more can transform into a book with just a bit of tweaking, so don’t be afraid to dig deep into your archives to turn your book into a reality.
Transcribe It
Most of us talk a lot. Speaking your book just might be what works for you. You can actually write your book just by using your smartphone. Use the voice memo feature and simply speak what you’d want to write. You can record any time you have a few quiet moments available like when you’re waiting in line to pick up the kids from school, while you’re out for your morning walk, or between client calls. Then all you need to do is send your audio files out to be transcribed. When you get the transcription file, just edit the transcription and format it for your book. No matter how disjointed or awful it might look, it will be much easier to edit that content than to start from scratch.
You could also give the recordings to a ghostwriter. When I ghostwrite a book, blog, executive bio…I love working from audio recordings. It makes it easier for me to get in my client’s head, learn their voice, their tone…and really write a piece that reflects them.
Don’t let a lack of time hold you back from completing your book. A book is an excellent tool for building your audience and establishing you as an expert. You owe it to yourself—and your business—to write that book, and share it with the world. It’s GO time!