I became a published author in 2019. My book, Productivity Success, did well with a couple hundred sales and downloads.
It was a success because I completed what I set out to do. While it wasn't always a dream to become an author, I did have a longing to publish a book.
Finally, in 2019, I researched and found that I could do it. I worked hard every day for 30 days to write my first draft. Most of it was already written, but I rewrote previous blog posts into book chapters.
Over the next 60 days, I did all the other work of editing, formatting, and designing the cover. After the launch, my world was changed because I knew I could publish a book, and people would read it.
Before The Dream
For years, I had been writing online. I didn't know why at first. I just felt this desire to write and give space for people to read it. I wrote on my first blog in my last year of college. Then, I started another one when I worked for a nonprofit.
There was a two-year hiatus when I left the nonprofit and my blogging journey, but I finally returned to it in 2017. With the encouragement of an online mentor and a pastor at my church, I started writing again.
During these years, I never imagined that I would write a book. It was so far off of my radar I didn't have any goals for blogging aside from wanting to share my experiences.
And if I am honest, this was good. It helped me to become a better writer before I was ready to write a book. There was a lot of freedom at this time. But, everything changed in 2017 and 2018.
Making Money Online
In late 2017, I started writing on Medium.com. It was a website that allowed writers to blog to their heart's content, and there was an option to get paid for people reading your posts.
In 2018, I started doing a little money writing. It was during this time that I started to get momentum. As things began to build, I wrote more and more on specific topics, which helped me make money.
My dream to write a book online was born. Not because I wanted to make a bunch of money, but because I found that people who paid to read were willing to read my content.
This small value from Medium.com helped me see a great deal in my content. This, in turn, helped me to know that I could write a book that could be valuable to others.
How I Prepared to Become an Author
Now, the seed of a dream was planted in my mind. But I didn't know where to start. So, I started looking for resources. I turned to help all over the internet. There were courses and books, but I started reading everything I could on self-publishing.
Over a few months in 2018 and 2019, I started collecting all my knowledge on self-publishing. After all these resources, I set my plan to write my book.
Over 90 days in 2019, I wrote, edited, formatted, designed, and published my book. While I know my promotion and marketing were pretty weak, I still sold a couple of hundred books.
This happened because I gathered the knowledge and resources needed to accomplish my dream. And that took time. But it was worth it.
Do You have a dream of becoming an Author?
There are a lot of fears about becoming an author. But, there are not a lot of barriers to doing it. You may have been writing online for a while or just started recently.
Either way, if you are willing to spend the time and money, you too can become an author. You could even publish a book by the end of the year.
Now, I have shared my system for publishing a book. However, there are a few things you will need to do to start your journey:
Read books on the topic. I have compiled a list of books that helped me to go from writing online to publishing books. You can grab that list of books with descriptions on my Gumroad page.
Compile a portfolio of work. I don't know many people who have published a book without writing a lot ahead of time. Now, that said, you don't need hundreds of articles, but you need to have at least 50 under your belt. If you do, create a portfolio of articles that follow the same topic.
Set a deadline to finish your first draft. No one finished the first draft without a deadline. For my first book, I set a 30-day deadline. This worked well, but I worked up until the last day of it.
Start an email list. You might have one already. You may not even have a lot of subscribers. However, you should start one and use it to help test ideas and create buzz about your book while you write it. I use Substack.
Start writing your first draft. Starting is the hardest part. However, this system will help you plan, write, edit, format, and design your book. But the best thing to do is to start writing.
These are the steps that I took, and it was rough going at first but worth it. Especially now that I have published four books, three of which are #1 Bestsellers on Amazon.
Chase Your Author Dream Today
If you have a dream to publish a book and become an author, it's time to start doing it today.
There has never been a better time to publish books than now. You don't have to go through the gatekeepers of traditional publishing. Many great editors, designers, and type-setters (book formatting) can help you publish a solid and professional book.
Most of all, if you have been writing for a while, you probably already have your book's main points registered. So, why don't you start writing now?
If you have published a book, share it in the comments below. If you have an idea for a book, share it too!
J.R. Heimbigner is a #1 Bestselling Author on Amazon who loves helping people grow in their faith and help writers become authors. You can connect with him on Medium, his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Substack!
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