How to Finally Write That Book You’ve
Always Dreamt of Writing
By Guillermo Rubio,
AWAI Staff Writer
AWAI Wall of Famer Patricia Ogilvie
has accomplished what many aspiring
writers only wish they could.
In addition to being a successful
copywriter, she’s published two books
and is working on her third.
So how does she do it?
Here’s Patricia’s advice for finally
writing that book and getting it
published:
- Strike while the iron is
hot. As soon as you get an
idea for your book, or feel a wave
of inspiration, write! Even if you
just bang out an outline with some
character ideas, get it down on
paper, napkins, your computer –
anything that’s readily available.
According to Patricia, “Too many
people think of a great book idea,
but never do anything. They just
think about it. Then their attention
goes to something else, and they
can’t get back to that initial
essence of the idea they had.”
- Commit. You’ve
got to set aside time every day to
write. If all you have is 15
minutes, so be it. Something is
better than nothing. All too often,
people don’t work on their book
because they think, “Oh, I’ll just
do it when my life isn’t so busy and
hectic.” Or, “When I get the
inspiration to write, I’ll work on
it.” This is a mistake. Pretend
you’ve been hired by a major
publishing company to write your
book. If that were the case, how
important would you make the writing
process? Chances are you’d make darn
sure to write that book no matter
what.
- Use the “Architecture of
Romance.” Patricia swears
by this. (The “Architecture of
Romance” is Michael Masterson’s
brainchild. It’s described in detail
in AWAI’s Accelerated Program
for Six Figure Copywriting.)
The important thing to take from it
is that every kind of writing has an
underlying structure. In promotional
copy, the “Architecture of
Persuasion” serves as a blueprint to
writing effectively. A similar
structure can be applied to writing
a book. It allows you to fill any
“gaps” your writing may have
otherwise (e.g., plot holes, weak
characters, etc). Patricia has used
this concept with everything she
writes, whether it’s writing a
speech … creating a training program
… writing books … writing sales
copy, or even writing poetry.
- Get it published.
You’ve got two options here. You can
try and get published by a
publishing company. This may take
time and many query letters. If you
go this route, use your copywriting
skills. Make the query letter as
persuasive as you know how.
Eventually, you may get published.
When you do, the average pay is 30%
of sales. The second way is to
self-publish. If you go this route,
you’ve got many options. Some
companies will print your books for
you. They’ll even create a website,
landing page, and list your book for
sale on Amazon.com. Doing it this
way, you keep 100% of the net
profits.
Your dream of becoming a published
author doesn’t have to remain a dream.
You can turn it into reality. Just
follow Patricia’s tips and get to it.
Who knows, it might just be the next
great American novel.
** Become a Published Author**
Are you ready to become a published
author? Here are some opportunities to
see your name in print …
Write a Romance Novel …
Do you dream about heroes that capture
your heart, heroines that inspire you,
and romantic storylines that keep you up
at night? How about going to the romance
section of the bookstore, where you’ve
been a thousand times before, and
finding a shelf of books with your
name on the cover?
Tap into your fantasy world and write
a bestseller, even if you’ve never had a
“true adventure”!
Write a Children’s Book …
Maybe you’ve always dreamed of writing a
children’s book. Imagine the joy of
seeing your name in print. How would you
like to create the next Dick and
Jane, the next Little Engine
That Could, the next Cat in the
Hat, or the next Harry Potter?
Whatever your vision may be, AWAI can
take you by the hand and walk you
through the entire process, from writing
the first line to the all-important
secrets of how to get it published.
Publish Your Own Information
Products …
If non-fiction is more your style, you
can find fulfillment, fun, and freedom
as an information publisher. As a
publisher, you can write, compile, or
record the information yourself, you can
hire writers, or you can reprint
information. It’s totally up to you!
You can run your publishing business
full-time, or earn extra income while
getting your freelance writing business
off the ground … or fill in any gaps in
between copywriting projects.
