I am writing
another book. It terrifies me to say those words. I said “I’m
writing a new book” a year or two ago.
But it didn't happen. It was a book idea that fizzled: to write about
baby boomers and their surprising use of social media.
The idea seemed novel at the time. But as I looked closer, it seemed
obvious. Kind of like saying: baby boomers drive their cars both
short and long distances for various reasons and to go to different
destinations. Er, yes.
So I dropped
that book idea and also dropped daily writing. And you can guess the rest
of the story: nothing got written. Note:
I'm the author of The Corporate Blogging Book,
published by Penguin Portfolio.
But now I’m back in the harness and I have a new topic that I feel
passionately about: "how to write a short book that grows your
business." I’ve got a tentative title picked out: Short Is the New Long.
Why am I telling you about my new book?
To make it
public (that gives me a kick in the pants) and because I’ve decided to
sprint for the next 8 weeks with my Beta Authors to get a sh*tty first
draft down (thank you Anne
Lamott). I’ll be working alongside this group,
encountering the same challenges and roadblocks.
I’ll be writing “through the bad” to get to the “good.”
Writing through the bad to get to the good
Fortunately,
this is part of the writing process. I say fortunately, because this is
what enables you to get your first draft down.
When you acknowledge that the first draft is not going to be perfect,
then you can ignore the whiny inner critic that tells you your writing is
crappy.
Writing is messy and iterative and it can be lonely. But in a supportive
group, the process is much less painful, as well as more productive.
The feedback and motivation you get from me in our 1-to-1 sessions - as
well as from the other Beta Authors - is invaluable.
If you’re interested in joining the spring Beta Author Boost, there are
a few spots left. The program starts this week.
You do not need to have a clear book idea to start
In fact, that is
a large part of what we do: figure out exactly what your book idea is and
how to organize it.
What is required
is the desire to ship a short book (thank you Seth Godin) on a
business or nonfiction topic. You need the commitment to dig deep and
write “through the bad” for 8 weeks. You will get tons of support and
help and specific feedback along the way.
I’m excited, nervous and scared. That’s the way it should be!
What to expect in my hands-on writing program: March 7,
2013 - May 2, 2013
Here’s what you
can expect in Beta
Author Boost:
- One-to-one
coaching to find and shape your best book topic
- Professional
feedback from me on your writing
- Accountability
to the group to help you get the writing done (yes, this is one of
the reasons I am joining)
- 8
weeks of program materials to give you action steps and inspiration
- You
get tips, tactics, wisdom and best practices on writing and
e-publishing
- You
will learn all the basics of e-publishing so you understand how to
turn your manuscript into an eBook and publish it to Kindle
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