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As in most – if not all – things in life, there are no short cuts or Magic Bullets that will miraculously take you to a successful conclusion of whatever you are busy with.

A lot of people promise you quick returns for hardly any effort (especially in internet marketing). Don’t believe them. You get what you pay for!

In the Christian life, it is exactly the same. There are no instant secrets to becoming mature in the faith. The “Super Spirituals” SOUND great, but the fruit on the Tree of their Lives is what counts. Integrity, faithfulness, self-control and all the Fruits of the Spirit together with the powerful Gifts of the Spirit makes for Spirit-filled living. How do you get to that place? An old Sunday School song puts it concisely:

Read Your Bible
Pray Every Day
And You will grow.. grow.. grow..

Talking to the Lord on a daily basis and having Him talk to you through His Word is the only “secret” you need. There are no Magic Bullets.

That’s true for writing books too – and (far harder!) selling them!

I will be introducing my Internet Mentorship Programme soon which will help a lot. Email me if you are interested and I will keep you informed.

No Magic Bullets

Success takes hard work, knowledge applied, and perseverance.

Val

From His Eye Is On The Sparrow
365-Day Devotional

Creativity is a gift of God (Exodus 31:2-4) and it makes good sense to ask Him  for wisdom and the anointing that will cause your book to touch nations. Pray earnestly for vision, revelation, strength, perseverance, a sense of direction, and release from frustrating circumstances and distractions, as well as wisdom, anointing and the ability to complete the project. We need to lean on the Lord every step of the way.

Practical preparation

Before beginning the book, there is some practical preparation to take care of.  Much like a building project, we need to know what we are trying to achieve and what the finished product will look like.

Start with the title and back copy. Before the book reaches completion, the title may change many times, but choosing a title helps to focus our thinking. What is the general purpose of the book? What is its specific purpose? What do we want people to feel, think, or do as a result of reading our book? It is a good idea to write down your specific purpose in seventy words or less and use it as copy for the back cover.

The Importance of a great cover

You can’t tell a book by its cover, but you certainly SELL a book by its cover! Once your title is definite, hire a good artist. The front cover is your best advertisement. Research has shown that most people are drawn to a book by the cover. They spend eight or less seconds looking at it before turning to the back cover, where they tend to spend about fourteen seconds. The front cover must say, “Pick me up.” The back cover says, “Read me.”

Collecting information.

While refining the title and back cover, the next step is to collect the information you will require for the book. Keep notes, quotations, items of information and research material together in a file. This simple step will save you much time and frustration.

A word about copyright

Copyright law is very strict. This is a right granted to creators under law. Copyright in all artistic works is established from the moment of creation. The only qualification required is that the work must be original. No one has the right to change an author’s work in any way and claim it as their own. This is called plagiarism and is illegal. Remember, therefore, to always give due credit for quotations by other authors. Put the copyright symbol, your name and date in your work to draw attention to its copyright status: e.g. Your name (c) 2008.

Disclaimer

Some useful wording:

“This book is designed to provide condensed information. It is not intended to reprint all the information that is otherwise available, but instead to complement, amplify and supplement other texts. You are urged to read all the available material, learn as much as possible and tailor the information to your individual needs.Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible. However, there may be mistakes, both typographical and in content. Therefore, this text should be used only as a general guide and not as the ultimate source of information.The purpose of this book is to educate. The author shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information contained in this book.”

Use a model

Visit a local bookshop and choose a book that appeals to you. Follow the format and take note of the extra pages required to complete your book. Start working on a short biographical sketch and consider who may be suitable for the foreword.

Careful planning

Plan the book carefully. How many pages will it have? How many chapters? Having a rough idea of where you are going will help immensely once you start writing. If you plan 200 pages with 20 chapters, you will know a chapter is nearing completion when you reach ten pages. One A4 page is roughly equivalent to two pages of an average size book. Save the chapters in separate files on your computer. This will enable you to work on them at random.

Rough notes

Another excellent tip is to make rough notes of the planned contents of each chapter before you start the serious business of writing the book. You will find this an invaluable aid. These notes ensure that all points are covered without duplication. Keep your notebook with you at all times and write your thoughts on the appropriate pages. Eventually you will organize these notes into a rough skeleton from which to write the various chapters of your book. Writing from notes is so much easier than composing from thin air.

Just do it

Then “just do it” – start writing and sharing those wonderful gems that have impacted your life. Remember, you can always change what you have written. The important thing is to begin.

Target your reader

A useful tip is to target someone you know and write for them. Catch attention with the opening sentence and link it to the closing sentence. Write simply and enjoy sharing what life has taught you, knowing you are obeying the principle of sharing with future generations and leaving a legacy that will impact people for years to come.

Proofreading

Once your book is complete, select a few good friends and people who love reading to proofread the manuscript. If they tell you it was hard going .. rewrite!  Don’t rest until you have a vibrant easy-to-understand  book that is readable.

Publishing

Find a good editor to polish and prepare it for publication and decide whether to self-publish or submit to a regular publisher. Purchase the latest copy of the Artists’ and Writers’ Yearbook for more information about publishing.

Recommended Resource

Imagine how life would change if you knew you would make money on virtually any book you take to market AND you could do so with no out of pocket expense. What about the people you would impact through your written words?

Take a look at Kathleen Gage’s report “How to Write, Publish and Market a Book with No Out of Pocket Expense.” You will learn exactly what to do. Not only do you get the report, you also receive a learning guide and an audio recording on how this is done.

To get your copy now go to
How to Write, Publish and Market a Book with No Out of Pocket Expense

From His Eye Is On The Sparrow
365-Day Devotional

Since the beginning of time, men and women have realized the importance of passing on a heritage to their children. Men sat around campfires and taught their sons to hunt. Women showed their daughters how to cook and make a home. They left a legacy, understanding instinctively there was little point in their children being forced to learn things from scratch. They built a platform from which their children could attain to even greater knowledge.

History tells us that those who wrote their knowledge down inspired others who followed to further development. Communities without a written record have, conversely, progressed little. “Books are the main source of our knowledge, our reservoir of first faith, memory, wisdom, morality, poetry, philosophy, history and science.” -Daniel J. Boorstin.

Great books from great authors have inspired, taught and motivated us. How great would have been our loss if these men and women had not written down the powerful truths they learned over the years.

Now it is our turn to write down the important truths we have learned in a language form understood by those who follow us. Our challenge is to leave a legacy for future generations.

Most business people, mentors, teachers, pastors, missionaries and Christian leaders have a wealth of truth contained in motivational talks, sermons, and studies they have shared during years of experience. ‘These powerful truths that could shake future generations if written down, are too often buried deep in filing cabinets or the hard drives of computers.

People are often intimidated by authors, believing that writing a book is the prerogative of a select few. Many people desire to write books, but few believe they have the ability.

The truth is, if we can talk, we can write! It just takes drive, determination, planning and discipline to reproduce our life’s work into written form.

From His Eye Is On The Sparrow
365-Day Devotional