How to Write and Publish Your Book in 90 Days or Less

I tried to publish my first book in 2000, no one would represent it because they thought I didn’t have the credentials to write it. It was a book on alternative health treatments, a topic I have researched for 3 decades.

Recently, I wrote my 8^th book in a weekend, published it in 15 minutes and it was a best seller – my 8^th best seller as each of my books has reached best seller status. I’m going to tell you how I did that and how you can do it too. A lot has changed in the publishing world and I am going to show you how you can make the best of it to get your book written and published in 90 days or less.

Traditional publishing model was to find an agent to represent you, agent submits manuscript to publisher, publisher reviews it and decides whether to make it part of their catalog. Acceptance to publication takes about 2 years.

New publishing model – you write your book, self publish, market it to best seller status. Time to publication is the time it takes you to write and format your book and you can find people to do that for you.

How can you write and publish your book in 90 days or less? Let’s look at some key decision criteria you need to consider when making the decision to write a book.

1.  What is your book about? Don’t write for your readers, write your story. Your story is what your audience connects with and how they will see you as a trusted resource. Your audience looks for 3 things:

1.  Authenticity – do you have experience in your topic and is that shared in your story?

2.  Relevance – can they see a shared experience with you through your story?

3.  Resonance – you are at their level and they resonate with your story

2. Which publishing model do you use?

Self publishing is very easy, learning curve is short and you publish your own book

Print on demand changed the self publishing model, you no longer have to buy hundreds of books and try to sell them

Traditional publishing requires that you find an agent, who will market your book to publishers who will determine whether they want it and they have editorial control over the content. Your book gets published according to publisher’s timeline

With the Self publishing model you are in full control of your book, publishing timelines, and content.

3. Who markets my book?

Here is where there is a lot of confusion because many people think that if you choose the traditional publishing route they do all of the book marketing and all you have to do is get your royalty checks.

Wrong

You are required to actively market your book even if you get a publisher and while they may assist, the bulk of the marketing effort is up to you.

You also have to market your book if you self publish so either way the marketing effort is up to you. Whether you decide to self publish or not, you should start your marketing now to create an audience, showcase your expertise, and build interest in your book and your topic. You can do this by starting a blog, podcast, becoming a guest on others’ podcasts, using social media, and a host of other marketing strategies that we teach in the GPS Author Academy program.

4. How does my book get published so I have copies to sell?

In 2010 something wonderful happened to make the self publishing option even more attractive to authors and that is print on demand. In the old self publishing model you had to reach out to printers, have them print hundreds of copies of your book, and then you stored those books in your garage until you could sell them.

With print on demand you buy your own books if you want to but your books are printed when they sell so you do not have to buy any books at all, just upload the formatted interior and cover .pdf files into a self publishing platform (like createspace, an amazon brand), and you’re done. The book gets listed on amazon, you market it so customers can buy it, and you don’t have to buy anything. Then you can just collect your royalty checks (while you actively market your book and create your platform)

5. Can my self published book become a best seller?

Best seller status is probably one of the most confusing aspects of book publishing because many of you, and me included, probably thought that achieving best seller status meant that you had written the ‘best book’.

Wrong

Best seller status has nothing to do with how good your book is. It is a measure of your book selling the most copies in your category at a point in time. And if you choose a publishing category that is not as competitive as others, you are practically guaranteed to be #1 in that category, which is what identifies a best seller, if you market your book launch correctly (something I teach you in the GPS Author Academy).

Here are the 5 steps to successfully writing and self publishing your book in 90 days or less:

5. choose your topic and message. Be sure it’s part of your story, you have the experience and expertise, and you share an authentic story.
6. organize your thoughts and start writing – writing a book takes commitment and discipline. Try writing a chapter every few days, stick with it and your book will be finished
7. start your pre-launch marketing while you are writing by creating a blog, podcast, short videos you share on social media. You need to create the interest now as you’re building your book platform. This is what I teach in my GPS author academy program. It’s not just about writing a book and hoping it sells, it’s building a platform that expands your book into programs, courses, coaching, speaking, and more.
8. Choose a launch date so you will know when your book will be finished. You’ll plan your writing schedule, book editing and proofreading, interior and cover design, and final details around this date. This is when you’ll also plan your launch activities so you have time to market your launch.
9. Launch your book and your programs. Finally, it’s the big day when you can launch your book and let the world know all about you and your writing. It’s an exciting time and you deserve to do this right.

In case you’re wondering about how big the self publishing market is, Bowker, the leading authority in book printing and official issuer of ISBN numbers issued 1.4 million ISBN numbers for self published books and ebooks in 2018, a 40% increase over 2017 and predicts that the number of self published books will increase exponentially every year as the self publishing industry becomes a more viable alternative for authors.

And finally, let’s dispel one more untrue rumor, that if you self publish you won’t be able to get a publisher to sign you. That used to be true but it isn’t any more. Publishers are interested in taking on authors with an audience and a platform so if you have those thanks to your previous work that could include one or more self published titles, they will be fine with adding your next book to your catalog.

Don’t let fear or lack of information stop you from sharing your message with the world. Becoming an author has never been easier than it is today and the limitations to entry in this market no longer exist. Take that step and write your book – you have an audience waiting to hear from you.

Are you ready to become an author?

If you’re ready to explore becoming an author – whether you decide to self publish or go the traditional route – it’s easier to get the support and help you need from an experienced author. My GPS Author Program will guide you through every aspect of writing your book, from choosing your topic to creating your platform and publishing.  You’ll find a host of resources to help you, as well as my personal support with two 30 minute planning sessions via zoom, skype, or phone.

Visit gpsauthoracademy.com for more details