WRITING RESOURCES: HOW TO GET STARTED IN WRITING & PUBLISHING

3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Begin Writing Your Book:

What is the main point of my book? You should be able to summarize this in one sentence or a slogan.

Who am I writing to, specifically? Women? Single Moms? Teens? Although we'd like every person on earth to read our book, we should have a specific audience in mind that we are writing to.

How is my book different than any other book on this topic? Don't know? Then this is where you need to do some research. Visit a Christian book store or search bookstores online for books that are already published on your subject. How will yours be unique?

1. Pray about God's direction, leading and timing for your book.

We all want to write our story. But what is the story God wants you to write? I believed my first book would be called Pathway to a Prince about how to find the perfect husband and be fulfilled in life. Instead, the book God had me write was called Letting God Meet Your Emotional Needs, about how God – not a husband – is the Only One who can meet our deepest needs. God had a little different perspective on my topic, didn't He?

I also wanted to write my book as soon as my daughter was born and I was home full-time. But God wanted to do some work in my heart for a couple years while I was home raising a child, so I would be prepared, and a little older and wiser, to write that book. Take to God your ideas and questions and have Him refine your book by impressing on your heart what HE wants you to write. If He is in it and behind it, He will go before you into it, as well.

2. Start speaking on the message of your book.

Would people come to hear you talk on the subject of your book? If not, they won't buy a book on it. So shape your book topic into something that will benefit others when they hear you talk on it. Then tell everyone you know that you have a message to speak on. Start small. Share at your women's Bible study. Volunteer to be a guest speaker at a local Moms gathering. Eventually, people will tell other people that you speak and through word of mouth, you will begin to develop an audience. Have a newsletter for your audience to sign up and receive so you can begin to collect a database on your future book's target audience. As you craft your talk, make sure you include interesting stories, grabbing illustrations, practical applications, and action points. A speaking outline, if written effectively, often resembles the first draft of a book outline.

3. Know how to write a book proposal.

Few publishers today will accept a complete manuscript. Most will only want to see a proposal first, which is a summary of your book's idea and marketing analysis. (See my Sample Book Proposal.)

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