The next few weeks (and likely months) are going to be incredibly tough. So why not tackle the thing you’ve always wanted to do – write your life story?
For the first time in your life there really is little to stop you (unless you’re a keyworker of course – and your experience under the coronavirus cloud is likely to be a book in itself).
Writing a book – even if you’ve never done it before – can be an incredibly cathartic and rewarding process.
An auto-biography can seem an almost unsurmountable task if you’ve never done it before.
But with a bit of guidance you can soon be on your way.
I’ve written scores of best sellers and I’ve coached lots of people through the auto-biography writing and publishing/launch process.
The first thing I tell people is you have to have a blueprint. You need to be able to visualise what your book will look like.
You need to find a title (or titles) you like and use them as your guide.
Study everything from how the chapters are broken down to page length.
Don’t over complicate things and don’t try and re-invent the wheel. The majority of auto-biographies follow a pattern – and they follow the same pattern because it works.
These are some common excuses I hear for not writing the book: my grammar is terrible; I can’t spell; no one is interested in my life and I’ve not got the patience.
Grammar and spelling is almost in sequential at this point – this can all be sorted out later quite easily.
Everyone’s life is interesting. And everyone has a book inside them. There’s no question. What’s important to decide is whether you want a best-seller or you want something purely for your own family. The answer to that influences the end product.
Books can cost as little or as much as you want as you get nearer to publication.
I like physical books of quality. I like to produce titles people will cherish. But some people prefer e-books. I tend to use both mediums.
The publishing process could fill a book in itself but I make it very simple for the people I help. I will be expanding on some of the points raised in this blog in the future but, if you have individual questions or need help, feel free to email me and I’ll do my best to answer: neil@neilandersonmedia.com