![\"book](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.attorneyatwork.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/book-writing-tips-typewriter-chapter-one.jpg?resize=770%2C495&ssl=1\" "\\"\\"")
Table of contents<\/h2>\n\n- Five Book-Writing Tips<\/a>\n
\n- 1. Know what message you want to convey and to whom<\/a><\/li>\n
- 2. Know what you want to accomplish for yourself<\/a><\/li>\n
- 3. Don\u2019t be cheap \u00a0frugal when it comes to professional editing<\/a><\/li>\n
- 4. Never settle on a title before you write the book<\/a><\/li>\n
- 5. Marketing starts before the book is published<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Ready to Write Your Book? More Tips You Can Use<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
Writing a book can be time-consuming, but it also can be rewarding \u2014 both personally and financially. Books are a great marketing tool and can have a great return on investment. They tend to open new avenues, primarily by attracting new clients. A long-time client author has seen a return on his investment every year by more than 300% from having attracted clientele willing to invest long-term in his firm\u2019s services.<\/p>\n
Other authors have written books to start side hustles or share decades of wisdom in a memoir. Whatever your reason, here are book-writing tips for getting started on penning that tome. <\/p>\n
Read \u201cWriting as a Side Hustle: 3 Lawyers Who Have Made Publishing a Secondary Income<\/a>.<\/em>\u201d <\/p>\nFive Book-Writing Tips<\/h2>\n1. Know what message you want to convey and to whom<\/strong><\/h3>\nMost authors make the mistake of writing to suit everyone. The truth is, when you are writing for everyone, you are writing for no one. Being too inclusive in your writing can dilute your message. When you have a specific audience in mind, you can tailor your content to that audience.<\/p>\n
For example, you may write a book with a primary audience of pre-law students, law students and new lawyers. The key is to know who your primary audience is and to focus your efforts on attracting them to your book. But writing to satisfy a specific audience doesn\u2019t mean you won\u2019t attract others. Another or secondary audience might find the book helpful, such as readers with an interest in politics, history and law.<\/p>\n
Ask yourself these questions:<\/p>\n
\n- Who are the people you are trying to help?<\/li>\n
- What do you want your book to do for your reader?<\/li>\n
- How should your reader feel after reading it \u2014 inspired, confident, renewed, empowered, enlightened?<\/li>\n
- Should the reader take some sort of action after reading your book, such as developing a marketing strategy or taking steps to advocate for access to justice?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
When you begin with knowing who your audience should be and what their needs are, it will guide your writing style and keep you from veering off course. Once you\u2019ve nailed down the message to your primary audience, others will follow.<\/p>\n
2. Know what you want to accomplish for yourself<\/strong><\/h3>\nBefore you start writing, get clear on what you want out of it. It\u2019s OK to be selfish as you ask yourself, \u201cWhat\u2019s in it for me?\u201d Lawyers write books for all sorts of reasons \u2014 from personal accomplishment to landing a TEDx talk; from launching a side hustle to expanding the firm\u2019s business; from landing a movie deal to leaving behind a legacy.<\/p>\n
It could be that you simply want to become a published author before you turn 90. Knowing your personal motivation will help you stay committed to the job. This is a crucial step because writing a book worth reading isn\u2019t something you do in a weekend.<\/p>\n
3. Don\u2019t be cheap<\/del>\u00a0frugal when it comes to professional editing<\/strong><\/h3>\nNot enough authors place the proper amount of emphasis on this. Find an editor for your manuscript! Do not trust it to a friend or colleague, or ChatGPT. Even more important, do not try to edit your own writing. It rarely ends well. Authors are too close to their writing and tend to think everything they\u2019ve written is important. It\u2019s not. A good editor experienced in your genre will be worth every dollar you spend.<\/p>\n
How do you hire an editor? Depending on your needs, there are different types of editors you should look for:<\/p>\n
\n- A developmental editor<\/strong> will evaluate your manuscript and tell you where it stands among others like it and how you might improve it. This editor examines all the elements of your writing with the book\u2019s purpose and audience in mind \u2014 from the book\u2019s title to the individual words and sentences to its overall structure and style. A manuscript can change significantly during this stage. The amount of change depends on the manuscript\u2019s original structure, its organization, the wording and the author\u2019s writing ability. Developmental editing provides authors with what they really want and need \u2014 a book worth reading.<\/li>\n
- A copy editor <\/strong>will generally address grammatical or punctuation errors; perform some fact-checking; and search for anomalies, inconsistencies and glaring typos. Overall, the purpose of copyediting is to ensure that the language supports the writer\u2019s intent \u2014 while also creating the most readable version of a manuscript.<\/li>\n
- A proofreader<\/strong> gets the manuscript just before it\u2019s published. This person should have a keen eye for detail and the ability to spot errors in punctuation and grammar \u2014 from missing or misused commas to misused homophones. Proofreaders<\/a> also look for typographical and layout issues, such as the wrong typeface in a chapter heading or awkwardly spaced lines within the text.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Professional editing is such a crucial step that this tip bears repeating. All authors can benefit from working with a developmental editor, albeit the most expensive of the three. But it\u2019s worth the cost. A poorly constructed book can harm sales and readership. Trust a professional to see the \u201cbig picture\u201d and not to simply focus on whether \u201cpeak, peek or pique\u201d is being used correctly.<\/p>\n
Editing tools found in Word, Grammarly and other apps are getting better every day, but they are not a substitute for a professional editor. No. That said, there\u2019s no excuse for failing to run your manuscript through a spell-check and grammar check to catch basic gaffes. A messy document will slow down the process. <\/p>\n
4. Never settle on a title before you write the book<\/strong><\/h3>\nMany clients have come to me with a title for their books before they\u2019ve written a word. That\u2019s fine, but only if you\u2019re not wedded to it. I can\u2019t count the number of times a book title has had to change because the content itself has taken a turn. Choosing a great book title takes time and needs to be led by the content. A book\u2019s title is as important as the cover of the book, both of which (working together) serve as your book\u2019s introduction to the reader.<\/p>\n
When choosing your book\u2019s title, bear in mind:<\/p>\n
\n- It must convey to the potential reader what the book is about.<\/li>\n
- It should use words that resonate with your primary audience.<\/li>\n
- It must catch the reader\u2019s eye as he or she scrolls through thousands of thumbnail-size covers on Amazon or other online stores.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
When asked to evaluate books because they\u2019re suffering from low sales and lackluster reviews, I have found in some cases that the book\u2019s title connotes one thing while the content connotes something different.<\/p>\n
One particular book\u2019s title gave the impression that the book was for a more advanced audience, yet the content was rudimentary. The confusion was evident in the poor reviews left by readers who scored the book low because it didn\u2019t meet their expectations. This didn\u2019t mean the book was poorly written; it simply meant the book was poorly focused. A change to the book\u2019s title and description corrected the problem, and the book began attracting the right audience.<\/p>\n
5. Marketing starts before the book is published<\/strong><\/h3>\nAn author pours her heart into her book and calls it a labor of love. And when the first copies of her book arrive in the mail, she feels a deep sense of personal accomplishment. Is that all there is? Sure, it\u2019s a personal accomplishment, but do you think she doesn\u2019t care whether the book sells? No one wants to be read only by friends and family. Whether it\u2019s a personal triumph or a book written to market your expertise, you want eyes on it.<\/p>\n
If you haven\u2019t thought about how you\u2019re going to market your book or whether marketing is necessary, I\u2019m here to tell you it is. What purpose does your book serve if no one but you is going to read it? Without a plan, prepare to place most of your copies on your home office bookshelf, and don\u2019t forget to dust them off occasionally. A colleague of mine used his book as a doorstop, while another colleague gave copies as holiday gifts to his immediate family and the postal carrier.<\/p>\n
Most authors believe the hard part of writing a book is writing the book. But what happens after you\u2019ve written the book? Regrettably, many authors who self-publish never consider marketing to be part of the publishing process. They think readers will find their books hidden among the millions of other books on Amazon.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s something to think about: Did you know that marketing is as much about the author as it is about the book? Most book sales rely heavily on how well-positioned the author is, which is why marketing starts months before the book is published. Authors must sell themselves in order to sell the book. This calls for an investment in both time and money.<\/p>\n
As an author, learn how to sell yourself to the audiences you want to attract to your book. Everyone has a backstory. Figure out how to share yours and to whom. Build your \u201chook,\u201d and those book sales will come.<\/p>\n
Featured Image Licensed under the\u00a0Unsplash+ License<\/a><\/p>\nReady to Write Your Book? More Tips You Can Use<\/h2>\n\n- \u201cSelf-Publish or Stick With the Traditional Route? Pros and Cons\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n
- \u201cLawyers, You Write for a Living; Now, Write to Build Your Brand<\/a>\u201c<\/li>\n
- \u201cWriting as a Side Hustle: Three Lawyers Who Have Made Writing a Secondary Income\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n
- \u201cBeing a Legal Author: When a Publisher Drops Your Book\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Illustration \u00a9iStockPhoto.com<\/small><\/small><\/p>\nMore Book Writing Tips on Attorney at Work<\/h3>\n\n- \u201cLawyers, Use Your Writing Skills to Build Business\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n
- \u201cWhat Lurks Behind Amazon: Five Things Authors Should Know About the \u2018King\u2019 of Self-Publishing\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n
- \u201cGo the Self-Publishing Route or Traditional Publisher?\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n
- \u201cSelf-Publishing Takes More Than One Self\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n
- \u201cWant to Generate More Leads? Write a Book\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Subscribe to Attorney at Work<\/h2>\n
- \n
- 1. Know what message you want to convey and to whom<\/a><\/li>\n
- 2. Know what you want to accomplish for yourself<\/a><\/li>\n
- 3. Don\u2019t be cheap \u00a0frugal when it comes to professional editing<\/a><\/li>\n
- 4. Never settle on a title before you write the book<\/a><\/li>\n
- 5. Marketing starts before the book is published<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Ready to Write Your Book? More Tips You Can Use<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
Writing a book can be time-consuming, but it also can be rewarding \u2014 both personally and financially. Books are a great marketing tool and can have a great return on investment. They tend to open new avenues, primarily by attracting new clients. A long-time client author has seen a return on his investment every year by more than 300% from having attracted clientele willing to invest long-term in his firm\u2019s services.<\/p>\n
Other authors have written books to start side hustles or share decades of wisdom in a memoir. Whatever your reason, here are book-writing tips for getting started on penning that tome. <\/p>\n
Read \u201cWriting as a Side Hustle: 3 Lawyers Who Have Made Publishing a Secondary Income<\/a>.<\/em>\u201d <\/p>\n
Five Book-Writing Tips<\/h2>\n
1. Know what message you want to convey and to whom<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Most authors make the mistake of writing to suit everyone. The truth is, when you are writing for everyone, you are writing for no one. Being too inclusive in your writing can dilute your message. When you have a specific audience in mind, you can tailor your content to that audience.<\/p>\n
For example, you may write a book with a primary audience of pre-law students, law students and new lawyers. The key is to know who your primary audience is and to focus your efforts on attracting them to your book. But writing to satisfy a specific audience doesn\u2019t mean you won\u2019t attract others. Another or secondary audience might find the book helpful, such as readers with an interest in politics, history and law.<\/p>\n
Ask yourself these questions:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Who are the people you are trying to help?<\/li>\n
- What do you want your book to do for your reader?<\/li>\n
- How should your reader feel after reading it \u2014 inspired, confident, renewed, empowered, enlightened?<\/li>\n
- Should the reader take some sort of action after reading your book, such as developing a marketing strategy or taking steps to advocate for access to justice?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
When you begin with knowing who your audience should be and what their needs are, it will guide your writing style and keep you from veering off course. Once you\u2019ve nailed down the message to your primary audience, others will follow.<\/p>\n
2. Know what you want to accomplish for yourself<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Before you start writing, get clear on what you want out of it. It\u2019s OK to be selfish as you ask yourself, \u201cWhat\u2019s in it for me?\u201d Lawyers write books for all sorts of reasons \u2014 from personal accomplishment to landing a TEDx talk; from launching a side hustle to expanding the firm\u2019s business; from landing a movie deal to leaving behind a legacy.<\/p>\n
It could be that you simply want to become a published author before you turn 90. Knowing your personal motivation will help you stay committed to the job. This is a crucial step because writing a book worth reading isn\u2019t something you do in a weekend.<\/p>\n
3. Don\u2019t be
cheap<\/del>\u00a0frugal when it comes to professional editing<\/strong><\/h3>\nNot enough authors place the proper amount of emphasis on this. Find an editor for your manuscript! Do not trust it to a friend or colleague, or ChatGPT. Even more important, do not try to edit your own writing. It rarely ends well. Authors are too close to their writing and tend to think everything they\u2019ve written is important. It\u2019s not. A good editor experienced in your genre will be worth every dollar you spend.<\/p>\n
How do you hire an editor? Depending on your needs, there are different types of editors you should look for:<\/p>\n
- \n
- A developmental editor<\/strong> will evaluate your manuscript and tell you where it stands among others like it and how you might improve it. This editor examines all the elements of your writing with the book\u2019s purpose and audience in mind \u2014 from the book\u2019s title to the individual words and sentences to its overall structure and style. A manuscript can change significantly during this stage. The amount of change depends on the manuscript\u2019s original structure, its organization, the wording and the author\u2019s writing ability. Developmental editing provides authors with what they really want and need \u2014 a book worth reading.<\/li>\n
- A copy editor <\/strong>will generally address grammatical or punctuation errors; perform some fact-checking; and search for anomalies, inconsistencies and glaring typos. Overall, the purpose of copyediting is to ensure that the language supports the writer\u2019s intent \u2014 while also creating the most readable version of a manuscript.<\/li>\n
- A proofreader<\/strong> gets the manuscript just before it\u2019s published. This person should have a keen eye for detail and the ability to spot errors in punctuation and grammar \u2014 from missing or misused commas to misused homophones. Proofreaders<\/a> also look for typographical and layout issues, such as the wrong typeface in a chapter heading or awkwardly spaced lines within the text.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Professional editing is such a crucial step that this tip bears repeating. All authors can benefit from working with a developmental editor, albeit the most expensive of the three. But it\u2019s worth the cost. A poorly constructed book can harm sales and readership. Trust a professional to see the \u201cbig picture\u201d and not to simply focus on whether \u201cpeak, peek or pique\u201d is being used correctly.<\/p>\n
Editing tools found in Word, Grammarly and other apps are getting better every day, but they are not a substitute for a professional editor. No. That said, there\u2019s no excuse for failing to run your manuscript through a spell-check and grammar check to catch basic gaffes. A messy document will slow down the process. <\/p>\n
4. Never settle on a title before you write the book<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Many clients have come to me with a title for their books before they\u2019ve written a word. That\u2019s fine, but only if you\u2019re not wedded to it. I can\u2019t count the number of times a book title has had to change because the content itself has taken a turn. Choosing a great book title takes time and needs to be led by the content. A book\u2019s title is as important as the cover of the book, both of which (working together) serve as your book\u2019s introduction to the reader.<\/p>\n
When choosing your book\u2019s title, bear in mind:<\/p>\n
- \n
- It must convey to the potential reader what the book is about.<\/li>\n
- It should use words that resonate with your primary audience.<\/li>\n
- It must catch the reader\u2019s eye as he or she scrolls through thousands of thumbnail-size covers on Amazon or other online stores.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
When asked to evaluate books because they\u2019re suffering from low sales and lackluster reviews, I have found in some cases that the book\u2019s title connotes one thing while the content connotes something different.<\/p>\n
One particular book\u2019s title gave the impression that the book was for a more advanced audience, yet the content was rudimentary. The confusion was evident in the poor reviews left by readers who scored the book low because it didn\u2019t meet their expectations. This didn\u2019t mean the book was poorly written; it simply meant the book was poorly focused. A change to the book\u2019s title and description corrected the problem, and the book began attracting the right audience.<\/p>\n
5. Marketing starts before the book is published<\/strong><\/h3>\n
An author pours her heart into her book and calls it a labor of love. And when the first copies of her book arrive in the mail, she feels a deep sense of personal accomplishment. Is that all there is? Sure, it\u2019s a personal accomplishment, but do you think she doesn\u2019t care whether the book sells? No one wants to be read only by friends and family. Whether it\u2019s a personal triumph or a book written to market your expertise, you want eyes on it.<\/p>\n
If you haven\u2019t thought about how you\u2019re going to market your book or whether marketing is necessary, I\u2019m here to tell you it is. What purpose does your book serve if no one but you is going to read it? Without a plan, prepare to place most of your copies on your home office bookshelf, and don\u2019t forget to dust them off occasionally. A colleague of mine used his book as a doorstop, while another colleague gave copies as holiday gifts to his immediate family and the postal carrier.<\/p>\n
Most authors believe the hard part of writing a book is writing the book. But what happens after you\u2019ve written the book? Regrettably, many authors who self-publish never consider marketing to be part of the publishing process. They think readers will find their books hidden among the millions of other books on Amazon.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s something to think about: Did you know that marketing is as much about the author as it is about the book? Most book sales rely heavily on how well-positioned the author is, which is why marketing starts months before the book is published. Authors must sell themselves in order to sell the book. This calls for an investment in both time and money.<\/p>\n
As an author, learn how to sell yourself to the audiences you want to attract to your book. Everyone has a backstory. Figure out how to share yours and to whom. Build your \u201chook,\u201d and those book sales will come.<\/p>\n
Featured Image Licensed under the\u00a0Unsplash+ License<\/a><\/p>\n
Ready to Write Your Book? More Tips You Can Use<\/h2>\n
- \n
- \u201cSelf-Publish or Stick With the Traditional Route? Pros and Cons\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n
- \u201cLawyers, You Write for a Living; Now, Write to Build Your Brand<\/a>\u201c<\/li>\n
- \u201cWriting as a Side Hustle: Three Lawyers Who Have Made Writing a Secondary Income\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n
- \u201cBeing a Legal Author: When a Publisher Drops Your Book\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Illustration \u00a9iStockPhoto.com<\/small><\/small><\/p>\n
More Book Writing Tips on Attorney at Work<\/h3>\n
- \n
- \u201cLawyers, Use Your Writing Skills to Build Business\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n
- \u201cWhat Lurks Behind Amazon: Five Things Authors Should Know About the \u2018King\u2019 of Self-Publishing\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n
- \u201cGo the Self-Publishing Route or Traditional Publisher?\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n
- \u201cSelf-Publishing Takes More Than One Self\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n
- \u201cWant to Generate More Leads? Write a Book\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Subscribe to Attorney at Work<\/h2>\n
- \u201cWhat Lurks Behind Amazon: Five Things Authors Should Know About the \u2018King\u2019 of Self-Publishing\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n
- \u201cLawyers, You Write for a Living; Now, Write to Build Your Brand<\/a>\u201c<\/li>\n
- \u201cSelf-Publish or Stick With the Traditional Route? Pros and Cons\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n
- A copy editor <\/strong>will generally address grammatical or punctuation errors; perform some fact-checking; and search for anomalies, inconsistencies and glaring typos. Overall, the purpose of copyediting is to ensure that the language supports the writer\u2019s intent \u2014 while also creating the most readable version of a manuscript.<\/li>\n
- A developmental editor<\/strong> will evaluate your manuscript and tell you where it stands among others like it and how you might improve it. This editor examines all the elements of your writing with the book\u2019s purpose and audience in mind \u2014 from the book\u2019s title to the individual words and sentences to its overall structure and style. A manuscript can change significantly during this stage. The amount of change depends on the manuscript\u2019s original structure, its organization, the wording and the author\u2019s writing ability. Developmental editing provides authors with what they really want and need \u2014 a book worth reading.<\/li>\n
- 2. Know what you want to accomplish for yourself<\/a><\/li>\n