People say I Should Write a Book but I Am Not Sure I Can. What Are My Options?

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  chumlee on 19/04/2018 - 08:17

  +7

  Just make a movie instead

  • 

    Detective Pikachu on 19/04/2018 - 08:24

    Following this idea, YouTube maybe?

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 19/04/2018 - 08:25

    +1

    this .. I use youtube tutes more than read sheets of text these days to learn.

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 19/04/2018 - 13:24

    Most definitely get Dwayne Johnson to star in it. He is in everything these days so your chances are good.

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  singlemalt72 on 19/04/2018 - 08:20

  +19

  Your options are
  1. Write a book
  2. Do not write a book

  • 

    singlemalt72 on 19/04/2018 - 08:21

    But seriously, there is a bit of a difference in writing papers and writing books. I know you can do short courses in writing, but i think they are usually geared towards novel writing rather than technical, may be worth looking around?

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  [Deactivated] on 19/04/2018 - 08:31

  at one point i wanted to write a book about my life but i realized how mundane and boring it was.

  • 

    nocure on 19/04/2018 - 08:48

    You should write a book, your forum posts are very entertaining…

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 19/04/2018 - 08:49

      +2

      What should I write?

      • 

        ItsMeAgro on 19/04/2018 - 08:56

        +3

        More comments on Ozbargain forum threads.

      • 

        [Deactivated] on 19/04/2018 - 09:22

        +2

        @ItsMeAgro:
        Maybe a book full of my comments

      • 

        Clear on 19/04/2018 - 10:15

        You should make a proper Pyongyang Bargain.

      • 

        [Deactivated] on 19/04/2018 - 11:47

        @Clear:
        Sponsored by all the travel agencies

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 19/04/2018 - 13:01

      +1

      yeah i would even post more but some (profanity) keeps reporting them and i get put in the penalty box.

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  pjetson on 19/04/2018 - 09:04

  +3

  Record and transcribe your conferences as a starting point. Once you have a start, perhaps you'll be able to expand on it.

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  ItsMeAgro on 19/04/2018 - 09:07

  If you really are an expert in your field, then you already have a lot of interest in it, and a lot to say about it. Do you not have a bunch of that written down already anyway?

  Often experts just collect a bunch of their lessons or seminar materials or all of the above, find a catchy title, and publish it as a book. This can help them market themselves for consulting gigs: more people might come to a seminar by "John Jeeves, author of Your Organisation Ain't Digital Enough Yet, Baby!" than to one by "John Jeeves, self-proclaimed expert". Or with the right marketing and title and such, the book might spread their ideas to a new audience.

  I think what they are saying is more "put everything you know into a book" than "become a writer and make up something to say".

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  bobbified on 19/04/2018 - 09:23

  People say I should be a model. But I think I'm too short, too fat and too ugly.

  I also have ugly hands, so I don't think I can even be a hand model.

  What are my options? lol

  • 

    pjetson on 19/04/2018 - 10:50

    Based on your description, I think your options might be in the "short, fat, and ugly" market - it sounds ideal for you.

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 19/04/2018 - 11:29

    +1

    Influencer.

    • 

      bobbified on 19/04/2018 - 13:48

      for the Fat Acceptance Movement? haha

  • 

    MeesusEff on 19/04/2018 - 15:01

    Mukbang videos

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  mskeggs on 19/04/2018 - 10:33

  +8

  Write a blog, or a post to linkedin or your website or whatever you use to drum up business and connect with your clients.
  Talk about the issues in your industry you are thinking about that week.
  Repeat this once a week, or once a fortnight if you find it tiring.
  in a year or two you will have 50 chapters for a book.
  Once that is done, you will find it easier to write a few intro and conclusion chapters.

  Send a sample chapter and a cover letter to some traditional publishers that cover your area (Wiley, Pearson, Addison-Wesley, whoever - look on your bookshelf's spines). You can find tips on this route via Google, but you are seeking to spark some interest. If they like your stuff they will give you an editor, a contract offering you a small payment with a possible extra royalties once the publisher makes their costs back (don't count on it). This is the more prestigious route, and would be quite a feather in your cap.

  If you get no interest from traditional publishers, take the lot to an editor found via Freelancer.com or similar. It will cost $1000 or so to get some basic editing done, five times that to get something really good, but at the end you will have a manuscript you can publish. You can sell it on Amazon, and the print on demand sites. You can organise a short print run of 500 copies if you want to be able to give out copies.
  This option is somewhat less prestigious, but has the ability to actually make some money.

  The third option is to do the first steps, then package the whole thing as an online course people pay you for. You can then realistically charge them a monthly fee for access and collect more cash that publishing a book would.

  In your shoes, I would write the book, then in a couple of years launch a course with 'new, updated' material. That way you can get the best of both worlds.

  • 

    jeeves on 19/04/2018 - 12:48

    Thanks mskeggs. Useful and sensible suggestions. This may work for me.

  • 

    jabbairc on 19/04/2018 - 14:22

    Excellent suggestions there mskeggs!

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  Architectonic on 19/04/2018 - 11:19

  +1

  There is very little money, if any money in books like these. Those who write such books do so because it is required to climb the ladder in their field.

  • 

    jeeves on 19/04/2018 - 12:53

    I don't expect to make money. There is a real possibility I may lose money. It is more because people who know less than me are writing books.

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  [Deactivated] on 19/04/2018 - 11:23

  What's the difference between digital, discrete and analog learning?

  • 

    jeeves on 19/04/2018 - 12:54

    +1

    I cover that in the book. Can I take your order for my book :-)

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 19/04/2018 - 15:05

      My approach to organisational learning is to just fire the basics. If that's not possible, give them busy tasks of no consequence.

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  Fergy1987 on 19/04/2018 - 15:56

  just do an audiobook

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  Detective Pikachu on 19/04/2018 - 16:01

  Similarly to my earlier suggestion of YouTube, maybe also consider Medium the new age in independent journalism/literature.

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  TransportPosters on 20/04/2018 - 08:21

  +1

  I've written many books, both fiction and non-fiction of a technical nature.

  You need to start with an outline, work out a logical order of chapters. Then put points inside those chapters of what you wish to cover. Work on it over a few days and you'll get an overview of the amount of writing which will be involved. The process will make you think of more things you need to include.

  Then you can decide if you can do it yourself or need to be with someone and dictate it to them. You can also have a go at writing it yourself and then have someone proofread and rewrite/edit it into a professional result, which you'll then have to read again to ensure it's right.

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  Cillagirl on 20/04/2018 - 09:49

  +1

  Hi Jeeves. Just went to a seminar on this for the Ultimate 48 hour author. Natasa Denham is the woman who runs this. Sounds like the solution you need. She makes it easy to do. Also I ran many seminars years ago and speakers always needed to have merchandise to sell afterwards such as books. So if you are already successful and busy it would be something to consider.