How to Write a Book in a Month
The framework I am using to write and publish 12 books in 12 months
I’m tired of people wanting to write a book but never doing it.
I have often heard, “I have always wanted to write a book, but…”
At that point, I either tell them I have published several books or keep it to myself. It all depends on their emotional state about wanting to write a book.
But, I have concluded that the people who want to write a book need a way to break down their barriers. This is not to say they will do the work, but if I can help make it as easy as possible, why not try?
Because of this reality, I have decided to share my one-month book writing and publishing strategy to help get people from wanna-be writers to published authors.
So, let’s get started.
How to Write a Book in a Month
This process is more than a month in some ways, but I will explain more through the five steps it takes to go from idea to published book. So, bear with me as we establish your writing steps.
Step One: Zero Week
Before you start, you need to do a little pre-work. Otherwise, this could be a failed experiment that frustrates you and makes you quit at worst.
Create a list of five to ten topics for your book.
Review each topic for the following questions: Which topics do I love? Which topics am I good at? Which topics does the world need? Which topics are people willing to pay for?
Remove the ideas that don’t fit the four questions.
Research the remaining ideas.
Choose your final topic.
Your final topic needs to be one that you love, and that will help you through this project for the next month.
Step Two: Write Your Book in a Week
Alright, here is the meat of writing your book. And yes, you can write a book in a week. But you need to remember to do it like this:
Outline your book so it flows.
Write your introduction, chapters, and conclusion in a row.
Write without editing (this is how you do it in a week).
Make sure to schedule time with yourself to write your book.
Use The Blog Post Method if that helps you write the chapters more quickly.
And that is it. You also need to remember that you aren’t going to write a 20-chapter book in a week. But you can quickly write a ten-chapter book in a week. So stick to what you can do.
Step Three: Editing Your Book in a Week
Now that you have written your first draft, it’s time to edit. This is perhaps the part that most writers hate. But it can be done easily and quickly. Most of all, this is what makes or breaks your book. Here’s what to do:
Use the RGR Method for editing. This is budget editing at its finest. If you can’t afford an editor, that is fine. Do it this way, and then…
Phone-a-Friend. Ask for help from one or two people you know. They can give you great insight into grammar mistakes and flow.
Complete a final read-through. After you have made changes from the first two steps, complete a final read-through to clean up your manuscript.
That is how you can edit your book in a week. If you hire an editor, I would encourage you to expect a two-week turnaround.
Step Four: Prepare to Launch Your Book in a Week
Week three is about preparing to launch your book. You will need to complete three main activities this week to get ready to launch.
Create a book cover. You can hire out (which I do, but you might want to start getting that book cover done in week one). Or you can do it on a budget with Budget Cover Design.
Finalize Your Edits. Editing can be a big job. If you didn’t finish it in week two, then now is your time to do it. Finish up those edits. Remember, your book is not going to be perfect.
Format your book. I use a program called Vellum. But you can also use one like Atticus. These programs make book formatting easy, and you don’t have to hire out for this work.
Once you have completed these three tasks, you are well on publishing your book in week four!
Step Five: Publish Your Book
Now, I publish with Amazon KDP because it has a built-in audience, is easy to use, and is set up to sell books. You can use other platforms, but I will only reference Amazon KDP for how I do it.
Keywords and Categories: I use Publisher Rocket. This program has helped me become a bestseller on Amazon, and I have ten books now. It is one of the best investments I have ever made for self-publishing books.
Upload to Amazon KDP. Walk through the three main screens to upload your book to Amazon KDP. I would suggest focusing on Kindle books only to start. You can add print ones later, but start with Kindle.
Hit Publish. Once you have uploaded your file and decided on your price (I suggest $0.99 for an opening price if you are starting out), you are ready to hit publish.
That’s it. Hit publish. Wait 24 to 72 hours. And see your book published online. You have done it. You’ve done a thing! The work isn’t over, but you have published a book in a week!
Final Thoughts: What Do You Do After You Publish?
Three activities will help you sell these books, gather email addresses, and potentially get ready to write more books. Here they are:
Make sure your Amazon Author Page is set up. This way, you can showcase all your books there, gain followers, and create a home base for people to refer to when launching more books.
Run a free book promotion with The Fussy Librarian. This will help you move books, get followers on Amazon, and get reviews and ratings that will help your book continue to be purchased.
After three weeks, update your price on your Kindle Book to $2.99. This is a good place to continue getting sales and better royalties, and when you publish your next book, you can do a Kindle Countdown deal back to $0.99, which will encourage more sales on the previous book.
And there you have it. This is everything I would do to write and publish a book in a month. This is what I am using to publish 12 books in 12 months.
Alright, now get out there and publish your book!
J.R. Heimbigner is a #1 Bestselling Author on Amazon who writes about faith and writing books. He has self-published 13 books and has some great resources. Check his book on using Substack to write books:
Also, this post may contain sales or affiliate links, so I might get a little kickback if you purchase anything. Thank you in advance!
Great framework, going to share this in my newsletter, I hope more people join us in the 12 books in 12 months "challenge" :)
Thanks for the motivation and framework to follow, J. R.