How to Self-Publish Your First Book (Like a Girl Boss)
If you have a dream of writing and publishing a book, follow these steps.
For this blog post in video form, please head to my YouTube channel or check the bottom of this post.
Have you ever dreamed of writing a book? Do you have an idea for something that you would love to write about? It’s time to stop dreaming and start doing. In this blog, I’m sharing my top three tips to getting your book finished either though self-publishing or published with a publisher.
1. Organize your closet
I know that sounds crazy, and if you follow me, you hear this all time.
A laser-focused closet ensures you are on the way to a structured, system-driven office space.
I take clients through an exercise where they can better understand how much time they waste in the mornings in their closet—whether it’s because they’re looking for things, because they have too much stuff, because they don’t have the right stuff, or because they’re always having to re-iron clothes that weren’t stored correctly. This is usually the “ah-ha” moment for clients, and it breaks down the ways a disorganized closet costs us time and peace of mind. In my experience, having an organized closet can save an hour a day. And I know everyone is excited about the prospect of an extra hour per day, which now sets the motivation to get started decluttering everywhere else!
However, this step goes deeper than just time-saving while looking for clothes. Especially for women, one major productivity waster can be attributed to the amount of time we spend worrying about what we are wearing instead of focusing on our business. We want to look put-together in business settings, and if you know that your wrinkled skirt is really going to bother you, you need to find a way to ensure your skirt won’t be wrinkled to avoid this distraction (or if you feel uncomfortable in a blouse because you could not find the one you usually wear). These examples can lead to obsessing over our appearance instead of whatever work it is you’re meant to be doing, which can be avoided by having a laser-focused closet to begin with.
I suggest employing the 80/20 rule and making sure that 80% of the clothes you wear are not only accessible in your closet but fit your lifestyle. We usually spend 80% of our time in our “business-related attire”, whatever that may be, but make sure you have the correct type of clothes for your business so that you’re not worrying about this, and then make sure it is front and center.
2.space
Next, ensure that your living and workspaces fit your lifestyle and there is no clutter lingering in either space. To begin decluttering, you need to make some hard decisions about what items are practical necessities, what items are emotional necessities and what items are just plain trash. Everyone’s definition of clutter and trash will be different, and there are no set rules about what items fall into what category. Going back to my organization mantra: the most important thing is that the items you keep need to fit your lifestyle and business routines and if they don’t, they’re better off somewhere else.
To start, try tackling the biggest time-wasters first. For example, if you are always spending time looking for important files because of scattered papers on your desk or your online files, start here. Having disorganized files can be one of the most common causes for slowing you down at work and wasting time. In addition, you’re more likely to forget or miss important deadlines. Some quick tips to declutter your work station is to invest in folders (if you still use paper) or spend time making folders on your computer. Start here: every single day, be sure to schedule 10 minutes to organize your files. Scheduling organizing time is a great way to stay on track.
3. Write your outline. Take a course to brainstorm.
Take a book proposal writing course, even if you don’t think you will trying to get a publisher this will help you outline your book so when you write it will be a breeze. The course that I took and 100% recommend is the online course for $99 by Jen Sincero. Trust me, if you follow this structure you will be able to write your book in half the amount of time that you initially anticipated. Plus, it gives you a tangible document in case you do want to pitch it to an agent/publisher. Planning will drastically reduce the amount of time it will take you to write the book. And If you want to go a step further, then put in dates of chapter deadlines into your calendar to help hold yourself accountable.
