So you want to write a book . . .

About once a month I get a request for help in publishing someone’s life story or their incredible new idea to help make the world a better place.

I take those reqests seriously because I’d never have published without the coaching and confidence of a few good friends. I even met a couple of lofty writers (guys with over 50 works in print), interestingly they not only took time with me but gave me exactly the same advice.

Want to know what they said? I’ll tell you at the end of this article . . .

I do have some advice for fledgling writers. It starts with this, “You better be an avid reader if you ever want to be a writer. But it gets more practical than that. I have some books to recomend that will help shape your hopes and dreams.

First read, On Writing, by Stephen King. It’s the best book on writing I’ve seen. It is an autobiography but filled with gems about the process. King will liberate you from most of your fears. Then grab How To Write A Book Proposal, by Michael Larsen. And finally read, Is There A Book Inside You? by Dan Poynter.

Read them in the order I’ve listed as thinking about a book proposal before you start strategizing a book makes huge sense (only if you really want to get it published).

Oh yeah, just one more thing–that advice from those two famous writers I mentioned. They each told me that if I didn’t re-write at least 15 times I would never sell a book.

Fifteen re-writes!!!! That bit of wisdom seemed monstrous until I read Stephen King. He made it simple for me and hopefully will do the same for you.